An  Appeal  to  the  World 

for 
A  Chapel  in  Every  Home 


LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 
Presented  by 

She  CAu-vKo-r- 

BV  4811  .W52  1922 
Wilson,  Joseph  Robert,  1866- 
An  appeal  to  the  world  for  < 
chapel  in  every  home 


Y^?, 


An  Appeal   to   the  World 

for 
A  Chapel  in  Every  Home 


JOSEPH   R.  WILSON,  LL.B. 


THE  INTERNATIONAL  PRINTING  COMPANY 
PHILADELPHIA 

1922 


Copyright  1922 
Joseph  R.   Wilson 


DEDICATED 
TO   MY   FELLOW   MAN 


ADDRESSED  TO  ALL   WHO  WORSHIP 

GOD.   IRRESPECTIVE  OF   CREED 

OR   DENOMINATION 


All  humanity  is  hungering  for  Religion.  Let 
us  make  it  a  permanency  in  the  household. 

"A  place  for  prayer  implies  a  time  for  it." 
Let  us  consecrate  one  room  in  our  homes,  no 
matter  how  small,  to  the  worship  of  God. 

The  home  Sanctuary  is  not  a  luxury  but  a 
vital  necessity.  "The  Church  and  the  State 
both  depend  for  vigor  and  stability  upon  the 
home." 

Every  home  should  have  a  bath-room  for 
the  cleanliness  of  the  body  and  a  sanctuary 
for  the  cleanliness  of  the  soul. 

"If  Pagan  Rome  had  domestic  shrines  for 
household  gods,  surely  Christian  America 
ought  to  have  domestic  shrines  for  the  one 
God." 

There  are  few  of  us  who  have  not  longed, 
at  some  time,  for  the  quiet  room  in  our  home 
in  which  to  pray— in  which  to  shut  ourselves 
off  from  the  world  and  be  alone  with  God. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Chapter      I — The  Message 7 

"  II — Its  Origin 37 

''         III — Its  Reception 49 


A  CHAPEL  IN  EVERY  HOME 


Chapter  i 


THE  MESSAGE 

"And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  heaven  saying,  Be- 
hold, the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  he  will 
dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  His  people,  and  God 
Himself  shall  be  with  them,  and  be  their  God." — Rev. 
xxi,  3. 

To  All  Who  Worship  God,  Irrespective  of  Creed  or  Denomination 

The  Godless  home  is  the  menace  of  the  world  today. 
Children  are  growing  up  in  irreverence.  God  is  daily 
and  universally  dishonored — in  the  home  and  out  of  it. 
Where  will  it  end  ? 

Now  comes  this  appeal  to  the  world,  to  every  man 
and  woman,  and  for  this  and  all  the  ages  to  come,  for  a 
Chapel  or  Sanctuary  in  every  home — impracticable  in 
millions  of  homes  already  crowded,  practicable  in  mil- 
lions of  homes  which  are  not — possible  in  every  home 
that  may  hereafter  be  built — and  ultimately,  a  chapel 
in  every  home,  the  tribute  of  mankind  to  his  Maker. 

The  home  is  the  foundation  of  the  State.  The  hom<3 
and  family  is  the  cornerstone  on  which  rests  national 
life  and  progress.  Is  this  not  so?  Then  any  effectual 
means  of  strengthening  and  uplifting  home  life,  of 
deepening  the  rehgious  and  moral  convictions  and  pu- 
rity which  are  the  very  essence  of  home  life,  must  have 
vital  effect  upon  the  national  life  of  the  human  famil}' 
as  a  whole.  Hence  this  suggestion  that  in  every  home 
there  should  be  a  place  for  prayer  or  meditation;  a 
family  center  for  spiritual  thought,  communion  and  up- 
lift. 

The  suggestion  is  not  for  an  elaborate  addition  to 
the  house,  but  to  take  one  room,  simill  or  large,  as  cir- 
cumstances may  permit,  if  only  six  feet  by  four,  set  it 

(7) 


8 


A    CHAPEL   IN    EVERY   HOME 


aside,  call  in  your  minister  and  consecrate  and  dedicate 
it  to  Almighty  God  as  the  "closet"  for  prayer,  the 
chapel  in  the  home,  an  Audience  Chamber  for  the  King 
of  Kings.  It  would  be  a  potent  influence  on  the  child 
life  and  a  "witness"  and  a  reminder  to  the  parents  and 
to  every  visitor.  The  larger  the  home  the  larger  the 
chapel.  We  have  enriched  our  homes  from  time  im- 
memorial with  provisions  for  every  physical  comfort 
and  luxury,  but  where  is  there  any  visible  evidence  of 
religion  in  the  modern  home  ?  The  weakness  of  Faith  in 
the  present  generation  has  its  foundation  in  the  decline 
of  religion  in  the  home,  or  to  put  it  more  forcibly,  the 
absence  of  it.  Children  lack  the  parental  spiritual 
foundation  on  which  to  build  their  Faith.  There  are  so 
many  other  gods  in  the  home  today,  and  so  little  to  sug- 
gest the  presence  of  the  One  God. 

It  is  timely  that  we  should  make  provision  for  a 
sanctuary  for  prayer  in  every  home  throughout  the 
land,  and  by  this  means  strive  to  build  a  new  spiritual 
foundation  for  the  world  in  the  home,  in  the  life  of  the 
child,  by  the  gradual  introduction  of  the  "consecrated 
room,"  so  that  there  shall  ultimately  be  a  chapel  in 
every  home,  of  the  rich  and  the  poor. 

Religion  will  be  on  a  surer  foundation,  beginning 
with  earliest  consciousness.  Then  the  nations  will  be 
more  God-fearing,  for  the  children  will  grow  into  men 
and  women,  and  the  sanctity  of  the  home  will  be  re- 
flected in  their  lives  and  in  all  their  dealings  with  their 
fellow-man. 

This  cannot  be  accomplished  by  any  one  denomina- 
tion any  more  than  it  can  by  one  individual ;  it  is  a  work 
of  labor  and  love,  nay  more,  it  is  a  duty  for  us  all.  The 
chapel  in  the  home  will  have  its  enemies ;  it  will  be  called 
"impracticable,"  and  its  path  will  be  thorny,  but  all 
must  admit  that  ''the  things  of  God  must  he  first  or  ive 
perish." 

There  is  nothing  new  in  the  thought  of  a  chapel  in 
the  home.  In  the  days  of  the  Apostle  Paul  he  personally 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME  » 

recorded  that  there  were  churches  in  the  homes  of 
Nymphas,  Priscilla  and  Aquila,  and  Apphia.  Pagan 
Rome  had  household  temples  for  her  idol  gods.  What 
has  Christian  America  in  her  homes  for  the  Only  Liv- 
ing God?  In  many  homes  you  could  not  find  a  Bible. 
We  expect  everything — health,  happiness,  riches  and 
honors — but  we  give  nothing.  Modern  religion  is  more 
of  a  Sabbath  observance  than  a  recognized  daily  need. 
There  is  little  or  nothing  in  our  homes,  or  home  life,  to 
remind  us  of  our  God.  Family  prayers  are  a  thing  of 
the  past.  Grace  at  meal  time  is  a  rarity.  There  is  dust 
on  the  family  Bible. 

The  writer  hurls  this  axe  at  the  root  of  the  decay 
of  religion  throughout  the  world — at  the  Godless 
homes.  We  all  recognize  the  menace  of  the  Godless 
home — we  rail  at  it,  are  continually  calling  attention  to 
it,  say  w^hat  will  happen  if  something  is  not  done — but 
what  we  require  today  is  a  remedy. 

No  pretense  is  made  that  this  is  an  effectual  rem- 
edy, but  it  is  a  message  born  from  earnest  prayer,  and 
with  God's  assistance  it  will  help.  It  is  at  least  some- 
thing, and  "worthy  of  the  consideration  of  us  all." 

Already  the  message  of  "A  Chapel  in  Every 
Home"  has  been  fervently  and  eloquently  endorsed  by 
three  Cardinals,  the  Primates  of  the  Anglican  Church 
in  Scotland,  Ireland,  Canada,  India  and  Ceylon,  the 
West  Indies,  and  the  Metropolitans  of  Australia  and 
South  Africa;  three  Archbishops,  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty-one  Bishops  of  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain,  the  presidents  of  twenty-five  universities,  col- 
leges and  seminaries  in  the  United  States,  leading 
clergymen  of  the  foremost  denominations,  and  distin- 
guished laymen  whose  names  are  household  words. 

It  has  made  more  than  an  impression,  it  has  taken 
a  strong  hold  of  their  convictions.  What  they  say  on 
the  subject  indicates  that  not  one  of  these  leaders  in 
religion,  science,  art,  finance  and  industry,  considers  it 
impracticable  of  performance.    In  their  weighty  argu- 


10  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

ments  for  its  universal  adoption  (which  appear  in  this 
book),  while  they  recognize  the  difficulty  of  creating  a 
sanctuary  or  chapel  in  many  homes  of  today,  they  find 
a  broad  foundation  to  build  on  in  the  many  homes 
throughout  the  world  in  which  the  vacant  room  or  the 
''closet''  is  awaiting  consecration.  There  are  many 
homes,  however,  in  which  there  is  neither  closet  nor 
room  for  a  closet,  for  they  are  crowded  even  beyond 
their  capacity;  but  some  day  every  home,  small  or 
large,  will  have  its  sanctuary,  closet,  chapel,  church  in 
the  house — whatever  name  will  give  God  the  most  Glorj^ 
— dedicated  to  Him  and  the  uplift  of  man;  where  the 
little  children  will  learn  from  their  parents  respect  and 
love  for  God  the  Father  and,  in  the  writer's  belief,  for 
Jesus  Christ  the  Saviour.  Some  day,  a  house  without 
its  sanctuary  will  be  looked  upon  as  an  unfit  habitation 
for  a  human  being. 

No  thought  is  advanced  that  the  sanctuary  in  the 
home  will  be  a  panacea  for  all  human  ills,  but  its  in- 
fluence for  good,  visible  and  invisible,  mil  exceed  human 
comprehension.  We  can  make  this  the  heritage  of  fu- 
ture generations  if  w^e  begin  now  with  pure  and  unde- 
filed  rehgion  in  the  home — ^with  the  children,  and  we 
can  make  our  own  generation  faithful  servants  of  God. 

With  the  home  resting  on  the  family  altar,  a  new 
religious  life  will  come  to  the  world;  wholesome,  un- 
wavering. The  world  will  learn  by  experience  to  rely 
on  prayer.  We  shall  believe  that  there  is  more  good  in 
the  world  than  evil ;  more  truth  than  falsehood ;  more 
love,  mercy  and  forgiveness  in  God,  than  condemnation 
and  punishment.  We  shall  realize  that  prayer  is  the 
only  weapon  with  which  the  world  can  overcome  evil. 

Among  the  earliest  to  recognize  the  full  value  of  a 
chapel  in  every  home  was  Bishop  Paddock  of  Eastern 
Oregon.    In  writing  on  the  subject  he  said : 

"The  suggestion  that  in   every  home   there 
should  be  a  place  for  prayer  and  meditation;  a 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  11 

family  center  for  spiritual  thought,  communion 
and  uplift,  is  excellent;  it  would  make  us  more 
loyal  and  loving  in  the  family,  it  would  increase 
the  attendance  and  spiritual  atmosphere  in  our 
churches ;  it  would  help  to  bind  together  the  whole 
w^orld  as  children  of  the  one  Father,  and  would 
inspire  us  to  make  them  conscientious  meml>ers  of 
one  family  in  Christ.  Then  there  would  be  no 
more  selfishness,  no  more  sin;  hatred  and  hostili- 
ties would  cease.  We  would  love  God  and  love 
our  neighbor  also,  and  the  heavenly  life  would  be- 
gin. May  (jod  show  each  one  of  us  how  we  may 
hasten  this  day,  and  give  us  the  wnll  and  the  power 
to  make  our  dreams  real/' 

When  parents  read  the  Bible  as  the  Word  of  God, 
and  expound  it  as  such  to  their  children,  the  decline  of 
religion  in  the  home  will  be  stayed.  Ignorance  of  the 
Bible  to  those  who  have  eyesight  and  can  read,  is  in- 
excusable, but  to  parents,  it  is  a  continuing  offence 
against  the  Almighty  God. 

Accentuating  the  great  responsibility  of  parents, 
and  to  suggest  a  means  whereby  they  may  enrich  their 
own  Faith  and  lives  by  a  closer  daily  walk  with  God 
and  their  influence  on  the  child's  life,  comes  the  mes- 
sage of  the  chapel  in  the  home,  the  place  for  prayer. 
Is  it  possible?  Is  it  practicable?  Will  it  accomplish 
its  purpose? 

From  the  viewpoint  of  the  architect,  it  is  both 
practicable  and  desirable.  Dr.  Warren  Powers  Laird, 
Dean  of  the  Department  of  Arcliitecture,  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  adds  this  contribution : 

'*To  the  architect,  whose  created  works  are 
not  only  the  seat  but  the  symbol  of  the  life  to  be 
lived  within  them,  the  opportunity  to  incorporate 
a  chapel  in  the  home  must  bring  peculiar  satisfac- 
tion, for  it  would  enable  him  to  complete  the  prac- 
tical provisions  for  the  various  functions  of  the 
home  life,  now  too  universally  confined  to  the 
physical  and  social  sides." 


12  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME 

A  century  ago  the  bathroom  was  impracticable.  The 
art  of  building*  has  not  only  eliminated  the  ''impracti- 
cability," but  the  world  now  recognizes  the  necessity  of 
the  bathroom  for  cleanliness — and  if  a  bathroom  for  the 
cleanliness  of  the  body,  then,  why  not  a  sanctuary  in  the 
home  for  the  cleanliness  of  the  soul,  a  sanctuary  in  the 
home  of  the  w^orkingman,  as  well  as  his  employer? 

Difficulties  bristle  on  ever>^  side;  in  the  hovels, 
crowded  tenements,  apartments,  and  in  houses  of  many 
types,  but  in  this  era  of  building,  what  the  past  century 
has  done  for  the  cleansing  of  the  body  in  the  home,  the 
next  century  will  do  for  the  cleansing  of  the  soul.  Archi- 
tects and  builders  will  make  provision  for  the  sanc- 
tuary in  the  homes  of  the  future,  whether  they  be 
houses,  apartments  or  tenements,  and  for  the  poor  as 
well  as  the  rich. 

*'If  Pagan  Eome  had  domestic  shrines  for 
household  gods,  surely  Christian  America  ought  to 
have  domestic  shrines  for  the  One  God." 

It  was  in  these  immortal  words  that  the  Rev. 
George  Dana  Boardman,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  pastor  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church,  Philadelphia,  and  now  long  gath- 
ered wdth  the  saints,  received  the  message  of  "A  Chapel 
in  Every  Home"  nearly  twenty-four  years  ago.  He 
read  it  aright.  His  soul  immediately  caught  its  in- 
spiration. The  Christian  world  was  behind  the  heathen 
in  its  attitude  toward  its  God.  Then  he  concluded  by 
saying: 

"Were  the  idea  carried  out,  it  would  tend  to 
make  every  home  a  sacred  establishment ;  it  would 
make  worship  a  daily  privilege  instead  of  a 
weekly ;  it  would  make  worship  more  intensely  per- 
sonal; it  would  help  us  obey  our  Master's  precept 
of  unostentation  in  worship — 'when  thou  prayest, 
enter  into  thy  closet,  and  having  shut  thy  door, 
pray  to  thy  Father  who  sees  in  secret. '  ' ' 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME  13 

Josiali  II.  Pemiiman,  Provost,  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Philadelphia,  in  writing  on  "A  Chapel  in 
Every  Home, "  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  centuiy  later,  said : 

' '  The  thought  that  we  should  set  apart  a  por- 
tion of  each  day  for  religious  meditation  and  wor- 
ship is,  of  course,  a  generally  accepted  one,  but 
your  thought  that  there  should  not  only  be  a  time, 
but  also  a  special  place  in  ever>'  home,  however 
great,  or  however  humble,  which  should  be  set 
apart  as  a  place  of  worship — is  of  importance,  for 
it  emphasizes  the  necessity  for  religion  in  the  life, 
and  in  the  home.  Moreover,  the  fact  that  there 
is  such  a  place  in  the  house  is  likely  to  keep  ever 
in  the  minds  of  its  occupants,  the  necessity  of  hav- 
ing also  a  time  for  worship. 

''Of  course,  God  may  be  worshipped  accept- 
ably in  a)iy  place,  but,  in  a  special  place,  the  wor- 
ship is  less  apt  to  be  interfered  with  by  the  en- 
croachments of  worldly  thought  and  worldly 
things.  If  your  idea  could  be  realized  in  eveiy 
home  where  men  profess  and  believe  in  and  wor- 
ship God,  the  effect  on  those  who  do  not  make 
such  professions  would  be  incalculably  great  for 
good. 

"May  your  devotion  to  a  great  cause,  the 
greatest  of  all  causes,  be  rewarded  by  the  setting 
apart  of  innumerable  places  of  worship  sacred  to 
God  whom  we  profess  to  serve. ' ' 

The  words,  "a  chapel  in  every  home,"  express  the 
whole  thought;  one  room  in  eveiy  home  disassociated 
with  eating,  sleeping,  and  the  worldly  things  of  this 
life,  dedicated  and  consecrated  to  Almighty  God  as  the 
sanctuary  into  which  the  members  of  the  family  may 
go  together  or  alone,  in  times  of  health,  in  times  of 
sickness,  in  times  of  happiness  and  prosperity,  in  times 
of  desolation  and  adversity,  and  pray  in  secret  to  our 
Pleavenly  Father  in  His  Holy  Temple. 

Fellow-laborers  of  St.  Paul  were  the  first  Chris- 
tians to  have  a  church  in  their  houses. 


14  A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME 

''Salute  the  brethren  which  are  iu  Laodicea, 
and  Nymphas,  and  the  church  which  is  in  his 
house. '^ — Colossians  4:  v.  15. 

"Greet  Priscilla  and  Aquila,  my  helpers  in 
Christ  Jesus :  who  have  for  my  life  laid  down  their 
own  necks :  unto  whom  not  only  I  give  thanks,  but 
also  all  the  churches  of  the  Gentiles. 

"Likewise  greet  the  church  that  is  in  their 
house."— Romans  16  :v.  3-5. 

"The  churches  of  Asia  salute  you.  Aquila 
and  Priscilla  salute  you  much  in  the  Lord,  with 
the  church  that  is  in  their  house."— I  Corinthians 
16  :  V.  19. 

' '  Paul,  a  prisoner  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  Timo- 
thy our  brother,  unto  Philemon,  our  dearly  be- 
loved and  fellow-labourer, 

"And  to  our  beloved  Apphia,  and  Archippus 
our  fellow  soldier,  and  to  the  church  in  thy 
house. ' ' — Philemon  1  :  v.  2. 

What  a  sincere  tribute  to  the  teaching  of  Jesus 
Christ  would  such  a  room  be  in  any  house.  In  His  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount  He  said : 

' '  But  thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy 
closet;  and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray 
to  thy  Father  which  is  in  secret;  and  thy  Father 
which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly."—- 
Matthew  6  :v.  6. 

One  of  the  pleas  for  a  chapel  in  the  home,  which 
will  find  many  sympathizers,  is  for  the  secret  chamber 
for  prayer.  There  are  times  when  we  cannot  pray  with 
satisfaction  when  others  are  around,  not  even  the  most 
loved  members  of  our  family.  We  want  to  be  alone, 
to  be  able  to  utter  our  thoughts  aloud,  unheard  by  the 
world,  to  cry  out  in  agony  of  spirit,  or  to  offer  up  our 
thanks  for  His  manifold  blessings.  We  just  want  to  en- 
ter that  "closet,"  close  the  door,  and  be  alone  ^vith 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  15 

Him.  How  often  do  we  hunger  for  this  rare  privilege 
of  being  alone  with  (lod  in  our  o\mi  home?  What  a 
joy  it  will  be  when  in  every  home,  whether  we  be  a 
guest  or  inmate,  we  can  turn  to  this  consecrated  spot 
and  fall  on  our  knees  in  His  presence  and  pour  out  our 
hearts.  Communion  such  as  this  would  produce  a  faith 
strong  as  "the  rock  of  ages,"  a  soul  "as  a  w^atered 
garden."  Prayer  would  lose  all  formalit}^  We  would 
talk  to  God  as  our  Father  in  heaven. 

In  the  Sunday  schools  the  little  ones  learn  the  his- 
tory of  religion.  The  development  of  their  minds  is 
more  or  less  intellectual.  This  is  said  mth  f  erv-ent  ap- 
preciation of  the  great  and  good  work  Sunday  schools 
are  doing  the  world  over,  but  the  real,  spiritual  inspira- 
tion must  come  in  the  home,  from  the  parents,  and  the 
environment  of  the  child  must  reflect  their  reverential 
attitude  toward  God — and  the  acknowledgment  of  the 
supreme  value  of  religion  in  their  daily  life.  When  we 
can  show  our  children  that  we,  the  parents,  love  the 
Lord,  our  God,  with  all  our  hearts,  and  approach  His 
holy  altar  with  joy  and  gladness,  with  perfect  Faith, 
then  will  the  child  go  to  Sunday  School  and  Church 
with  love  and  rejoicing,  because  it  will  feel  that  God  is 
near  it,  always,  and  not  making  a  weekly  corrective 
visitation.  The  spiritual  attitude  of  the  child  must  be 
created  in  the  home,  and  once  imbued  with  the  thought 
that  God  is  the  great  invisible  friend,  eveiything  taught 
thereafter  in  the  Sunday  schools  about  Him  will  fall  on 
mlling,  attentive  ears.  Companionship  vnih  God  must 
be  the  child's  daily,  loving  thought,  and  no  one  can 
give  a  child  this  thought  like  its  mother.  Mother  love 
is  next  to  God  love.  Motherhood  is  the  noblest  institu- 
tion under  heaven. 

The  weekly  half -hour  lesson  in  the  Sunday  School 
can  never  take  the  place  of  religious  instruction  in  the 
home.  Parents  who  lean  entirely  on  the  Sunday  School 
and  absolve  themselves  from  greater  responsibiUty  in 


16  A   CHAPEL   IN    EVER'S    HOME 

laying  the  foundation  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  child, 
must  assume  accountability  for  its  weakness  in  the 
Faith.  When  parents  realize  their  personal  responsi- 
bility for  the  building  up  of  the  Faith  of  the  child,  it 
will  become  a  serious  duty  to  them,  calling  for  prayer 
for  guidance  and  direction.  In  the  home,  parents  by 
correct  living,  truth,  and  a  reverential  attitude  toward 
God,  could  exercise  a  profound  influence  on  the  impres 
sionable  mind  of  the  child,  and  the  sanctuary  in  the 
home  would  have  a  direct  bearing  on  the  result.  The 
greatest  joy  that  could  come  to  a  parent  would  be  to 
feel  that  his  or  her  child  had  grown  up  clean  in  mind, 
body  and  soul. 

"And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thine  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all 
thy  might. 

"And  these  words,  which  I  command  thee  this 
day,  shall  be  in  thine  heart : 

''And  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  unto  thy 
children,  and  shalt  talk  of  them  when  thou  sittest 
in  thine  house,  and  when  thou  walkest  hy  the  way, 
and  when  thou  liest  doivn,  and  ivhen  thou  risest 
up." — Deuteronomy  6:  v.  5-7. 

"And  thou  shalt  write  them  upon  the  door 
posts  of  thine  house,  and  upon  thy  gates ; 

"That  your  days  may  be  multiplied,  and  the 
days  of  vour  children." — Deuteronomy  11  :  v.  20- 
21." 

Moses  so  instructed  the  fathers  of  the  children  of 
Israel. 

For  many  years  the  work  of  striving  to  build  up 
this  thought  in  the  world  has  been  going  on.  The  sanc- 
tuary or  chapel  in  every  home  has  been  viewed  from 
almost  every  angle  by  leaders  of  nearly  all  the  great 
religious  denominations  and,  like  every  permanent  and 
lasting  reformation,  it  moves  slowly  but  surely  toward 
world-wide  adoption. 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  17 

The  first  presentation  of  it  was  made  on  October 
30, 1898,  in  The  New  York  Herald  and  The  Philadelphia 
Press,  with  commendations  by  a  few  of  the  leading 
churchmen,  including  Bishops  Potter,  of  New  York; 
Neely,  of  Maine;  Coleman,  of  Delaware;  Scarborough, 
of  New  Jersey  and  Graves,  of  Laramie.  In  1909  the 
first  book  on  the  subject  was  printed  and  distributed, 
and  the  following  appears  in  it : 

"The  words,  'a  chapel  in  every  home,'  have 
been  beckoning  the  writer  on — in  the  daylight,  in 
the  darkness,  on  the  street,  in  his  office  and  in  his 
home.  At  the  last  named  place  it  has  long  existed 
as  a  reality,  the  most  loved  spot  in  the  household, 
consecrated  by  the  Church  and  used  daily  by  the 
members  of  his  family  for  their  devotions.  'A 
chapel  in  ever>'  home'  rings  in  his  ears  like  the 
voice  of  God  calling  him  to  deliver  His  message  to 
His  people, — in  the  homes  of  the  rich,  in  the  homes 
of  the  poor — a  place  for  praver,  dedicated  to 
Him." 

Much  has  been  written  and  said  on  the  subject  since 
that  time  until  it  has  become  like  the  cool  of  the  morn- 
ing, the  fragrance  of  the  garden,  the  scent  of  the  woods, 
and  the  breezes  of  ocean. 

George  H.  Stuart,  Jr.,  President,  The  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  and  Vice- 
President  of  The  Philadelphia  Bible  Society,  pays  it 
this  tribute: 

"The  message  of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home' 
brings  a  new  light  to  the  world.  It  is  a  challenge 
to  the  faith  of  us  all.  A  Christian  household  is  the 
unit  upon  whose  foundation  is  built  the  structure 
of  an  enduring  national  life,  and  the  influence  of 
this  message  shall  be  recorded  upon  the  pages  of 
history.  The  title,  so  well  chosen  by  the  author, 
clearly  indicates  the  intimate  connection  between 
worship  and  family  reverence  for  those  objects 
which  transcend  the  grosser  elements  of  our  physi- 
cal being. 


18  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 

"If  ever  there  was  a  time  when  the  chapel 
in  the  home  would  throw  its  beacon  light  upon  a 
world,  sin-tossed  and  struggling  with  passions 
and  doubts,  surely  it  is  now.  It  would  shine  out 
over  the  raging  sea  of  wavering  faith,  and  pilot 
us  into  the  haven  of  prayer,  to  find  sweet  comfort 
and  Divine  guidance  in  the  sanctuary  of  the  Most 
High.  Within  its  portals  we  could  lay  our  weak- 
ness, our  sorrow  and  our  perplexity  before  our 
'Grod,  in  secret  communion  in  our  own  home,  day 
or  night.  The  banner  of  our  sanctuary  would  ever 
proclaim  to  our  fellow-man  our  allegiance  to  the 
King  of  Kings  and  our  brotherhood  with  human- 
ity. The  thought  is  a  noble  one  in  its  conception, 
and  wholly  practicable  of  execution. 

'  *  May  this  chapel  therefore  be  set  up  in  every 
home  throughout  our  land  and  in  every  land,  that 
by  its  sacred  influence,  admission,  and  teachings, 
the  youth  and  manhood  of  the  world  may  find,  en- 
joy, and  transmit  to  succeeding  generations,  the 
blessings  alike  of  true  religion,  and  civil  and  po- 
litical liberty." 

Here  we  have  the  expression  of  one  whose  experi- 
ence is  founded  on  many  years  of  intimate  associa- 
tion with  the  development  of  the  spiritual  atmosphere 
of  living. 

Though  churches  may  differ  on  creed  and  ritual, 
they  have  proved  that  they  stand  together  to  welcome 
anything  that  will  tend  to  bring  back  religion  to  the 
home,  the  return  of  family  prayer,  the  searching  of 
the  Scriptures  for  knowledge,  grace  at  meals,  and  once 
again  those  sweet  morning  and  evening  prayers  at 
our  mother's  knee,  or  beside  our  little  beds.  The  home 
can  again  be  made  a  powerful  influence  in  the  spiritual 
life  of  nations.  What  the  home  requires  now  is  greater 
reverence  for  the  things  of  God,  the  Bible  and  prayer ; 
and  the  setting  apart  of  a  room  to  the  Almighty  God 
as  a  sanctuary  for  prayer,  a  holy  spot  in  the  house, 
would  go  a  long  way  toward  creating  in  the  hearts  of 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  19 

children  a  proper  appreciation  of  the  reverential  atti- 
tude of  the  parent  toward  God.  The  home  would  be 
more  of  a  home;  it  would  have  gfreater  dij^nity — there 
would  be  a  closer  relation  between  parent  and  child. 

The  present  crowded  tenements,  apartments  and 
houses  in  which  there  is  no  room,  cannot  last  forever. 
New  and  modern  structures  for  all  classes  are  being 
built  everywhere,  affording-  the  opportunity  for  owner 
and  architect  to  combine  investment  and  utility  with 
work  for  the  Master,  for  "where  God  has  given  a 
roof,  there  he  expects  an  altar." 

In  the  book  already  referred  to,  printed  in  1909, 
the  writer  also  said : 

''My  own  little  chapel  is  less  than  six  feet  square, 
yet  so  far  it  has  been  large  enough  for  all  our  needs. 
When  I  moved  into  my  present  home  some  years  ago, 
there  it  awaited  me  already  built,  at  the  head  of  the 
stairway  on  the  second  floor,  with  a  colored  glass  win- 
dow in  it,  just  as  if  I  had  designed  it.  It  was  probably 
intended  for  a  sewing  room  or  some  other  domestic 
purpose.  I  accepted  the  mute  invitation  and  it  at 
once  became  the  chapel.  We  fitted  it  up,  had  it  conse- 
crated by  our  minister  and  have  used  it  daily  ever 
since.  There  are  similar  rooms  in  many  homes  all 
over  the  world  waiting  their  consecration  and  dedica- 
tion to  Almighty  God. 

"The  chapel  in  every  home  must  come  in  time; 
and  its  effect  will  be  to  bring  the  presence  of  God  into 
thousands  of  homes  in  which  he  would  otherwise  be 
unknown.  The  late  Bishop  Potter  wrote  me,  'a  place 
for  prayer  implies  a  time  for  it,'  and  since  he  sent  me 
that  message  I  have  learned  its  truth  by  experience, 
and  can  add  that  in  addition  to  the  place  and  the  time, 
my  own  little  chapel  has  proved  an  invitation  so  irre- 
sistible that  I  have  found  myself  on  my  knees  within 
its  portals  as  many  times  outside  the  regular  hours  for 
prayer  as  ^^^thin  them. 

"A  row  of  houses  for  workingmen  will  be  built  by 
some  pioneer  with  a  little  chapel,  six  feet  long  and 
four  wide,  in  each  house ;  with  a  colored  glass  window 
at  the  end  to  suggest  an  atmosphere  of  sanctity,  the 


20 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 


sill  of  which  may  constitute  the  altar.  Some  may  use 
it  as  a  store  room  or  for  any  other  domestic  purpose, 
but  someone  in  the  row  will  use  the  little  chapel  in  the 
home  as  a  place  for  prayer  and  others  will  copy.  It 
may  take  hundreds  of  years  to  bring  man  to  a  realiza- 
tion that  he  is  behind  the  pagans  in  his  attitude  toward 
his  God;  but  again  I  predict  that  the  time  will  come 
when  people,  in  looking  for  a  house  to  rent  or  buy, 
will  ask,  'What  kind  of  a  chapel  has  it?'  and  the  chapel 
in  every  home  will  be  sweet  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord. 

"I  cannot  let  this  thought  die — I  could  not  if  I 
would,  for  it  must  henceforth  reverberate  do^vn  the 
avenue  of  time,  the  closer  relation  of  man  with  his 
Maker  in  his  everyday  life,  the  invitation  to  God  to 
dwell  in  the  household,  the  chapel  in  the  home — every 
home — henceforth  and  forever. 

''When  the  hot  blood  of  anger  surges  through  the 
veins  and  the  words  which  cut  like  a  knife  accompany 
the  cruel  blow;  when  husband  and  wife  forget  their 
vows  made  at  the  altar  and  in  the  presence  of  their 
little  ones  turn  on  each  other  like  wild  beasts — in  the 
tumult  and  agony  of  human  weakness  and  suffering, 
the  open  door  of  that  little  room  sacred  to  God  will 
utter  'pea<;e.'  Many  a  harsh  word  will  be  suppressed 
by  a  sight  of  that  open  door  and  the  feeling  of  the  in- 
visible presence  of  God  within.  Many  a  one  bowed 
down  in  grief  and  tribulation  will  find  comfort  there — 
kneeling  alone  with  Him  who  will  help  if  we  will  only 
let  Him,  and  a  great  joy  wtIII  be  bom  to  man  from  a 
closer  personal  communion  with  his  God. 

"It  has  been  born  to  me,  and  often  on  my  knees 
in  that  sacred  spot  in  my  home  I  have  prayed  alone 
against  despair  and  death,  and  though  death  prevailed 
and  took  my  loved  ones,  I  understood — it  was  all  right 
— and  peace  came  over  my  soul  so  sweet  that  I  would, 
if  I  could,  give  it  to  all  my  fellow-men.  And  in  the 
daily  battle  of  life  I  have  found  my  strength  and  in- 
spiration from  a  brief  communion  in  the  morning  with 
my  Heavenly  Father.  The  day's  toil  has  been  light- 
ened and  the  shadows  have  dissolved  before  the  bright 
confidence  I  carried  out  with  me  from  that  brief  com- 
munion. 

"WTiat  has  been  the  effect  of  the  Chapel  in  the 
Home  on  the  attendance  of  my  family  at  Church!    It 


A  CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME  21 

has  been  to  intensify  the  desire  for  congregational 
worship,  to  create  a  joyous  anticipation  of  the  Sab- 
bath when  the  worship  in  the  home  expands  into  wor- 
ship with  all  the  people  in  the  greater  houses  of  God. 
"If  I  could  tell  all  that  Chapel  has  done  for  me 
and  my  loved  ones,  there  is  not  a  man  who  believes  in 
God  who  would  allow  another  day  to  pass  without 
planning  one  for  his  home. 

''Some  of  the  great  and  good  men,  whose  letters 
on  this  subject  I  have  had  reproduced  for  the  benefit 
of  the  world,  have  passed  beyond  the  Great  Divide, 
but  their  words  of  encouragement  and  approval  are 
already  cemented  into  the  foundation  of  this  move- 
ment for  all  times.  Others,  whose  letters  are  repro- 
duced, still  live  to  help  in  the  work  of  making  the 
chapel  in  every  home  practical  and  universal.  Let 
the  Bishops,  High  Priests  and  p]lders  of  the  world, 
unite  with  the  Clergy  to  bring  the  thought  home  to 
every  congregation,  and  by  this  means  it  will  have  the 
spiritual  force  through  human  channels  w^hich  will 
hasten  that  day  which  the  Almighty  God  intends  to 
come,  w^hen  a  habitation  will  be  provided  for  Him  in 
every  home. 

''All  humanity  is  hungering  for  religion.  The 
hand  of  sickness,  sorrow  and  death  is  leaning  heavily 
on  many  households,  and  it  is  at  such  times  that  eyes 
are  cast  heavenward  for  comfort.  If  our  eyes  were  as 
often  cast  heavenward  in  times  of  health  and  prosper- 
ity as  they  are  in  times  of  sickness,  we  would  be  bet- 
ter men  and  women,  and  there  would  be  more  charity 
in  the  world.  If  we  had  God  in  our  hearts  as  much  as 
in  our  heads,  domestic  devotion  would  not  be  dying 
out,  but  would  be  a  loving  daily  communion  with  our 
Father  in  Heaven.  Again,  I  refer  to  that  sentence  in 
Bishop  Potter's  letter,  'a  place  for  prayer  implies 
a  time  for  it.'  Let  us  consecrate  one  room  in  our  home, 
no  matter  how  small,  to  the  worship  of  God,  and  make 
provision  hereafter  for  the  chapel  in  every  home. 

"Whoever  reads  these  linos  I  invite  to  come  for- 
ward and  help  me  in  this  generation  in  carrj^ing  the 
thought  and  suggestion  as  far  as  we  am.  The  chapel 
in  the  home  \y\\\  indeed  'deepen  the  religious  life  and 
be  a  safeguard  against  irreverence  and  wrong-doing 
in  the  family,'  and  become  a  tower  of  strength  among 


22  A  CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 

men  in  developing  a  loftier  purity  in  domestic  life, 
and  greater  love  and  charity  toward  all, 

"The  message  now  speaks,  not  alone  from  the 
bearer,  but  with  the  eloquence  of  the  world's  greatest 
minds,  and  the  suggestion  of  a  chapel  in  every  home 
will  some  day  be  the  acclaimed  demand  of  the  civil- 
ized world  for  a  '  closer  walk  with  God. '  ' ' 

Conditions  are  no  different  in  1922  than  they  were 
in  1898  or  1909.  The  world  is  perhaps  a  little  more 
uneasy,  and  not  without  reason.  Devout  believers  are 
becoming  alamied,  and  are  not  only  expecting  some- 
thing to  happen  but  praying  for  it.  Anything  that  will 
sober  the  excited  multitude  pursuing  the  ''mammon 
of  mirighteousness. "  Should  not  this  thought  then 
at  once  appeal  to  all  those  who  associate  Faith  with 
everything  that  is  Eternal!  Why,  the  happiness  of 
knowing  that  you  have  taken  a  Uttle  room  in  your 
house,  and  consecrated  it  and  made  a  chapel  out  of  it, 
a  tabernacle  in  the  home  to  Jehovah,  would  commence 
with  the  adoption  of  the  thought  and  never  end.  When 
our  Blessed  Saviour  sees  the  lights  burning  on  millions 
of  altars  erected  to  Him  in  millions  of  homes  through- 
out the  world,  twinkling  like  the  stars,  there  will  be 
joy  in  Heaven. 

The  seed  of  "A  Chapel  in  Every  Home"  has  been 
sown  wherever  the  English  language  is  spoken.  It 
has  always  been  a  regret  to  the  writer  that  language 
and  expense  prevented  the  sowing  of  the  seed  outside 
of  the  English  speaking  countries.  The  commenda- 
tions received  from  the  foremost  churchmen  of  many 
of  the  leading  denominations,  including  the  House  of 
Bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States,  nevertheless  indicate  that  the  universal 
adoption  of  the  thought  would  bring  about  a  great  re- 
ligious uplift  to  the  nations  of  the  world. 

The  leaders  of  all  denominations,  clergy  and  laity, 
are,  therefore,  urged  to  unite  in  this  movement  and  to 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVEEY  HOME  23 


proclaim  the  message  of  "A  Chapel  in  Every  Home" 
from  the  pulpit,  aye,  from  the  house-tops— for  that  is 
how  it  will  ultimately  be  brought  home  to  man.  If 
man  wants  to  argue  against  it  then,  he  will  have  to 
argue  with  his  God.  All  humanity  is  hungering  for 
religion,  and  yearning  for  "a  closer  walk  with  God," 
and  the  chapel  in  the  home  is  where  that  hunger  and 
yearning  can  be  satisfied.  "Public  worship  in  the 
church— important  though  it  be— can  never  take  the 
place  of  Family  Prayers."  May  God  grant,  therefore, 
that  the  home  chapel  may  become  universal,  and  all 
the  physical  obstacles  which  delight  the  Prince  of 
Darkness  dissolve  in  the  gradual  evolution  of  every 
home  with  a  tabernacle  of  the  Lord. 

How  wonderful  it  w^ould  be  if  every  home  had  its 
audience  chamber  for  the  King  of  Kings. 

What  has  God  done  for  man!  Eveiy thing.  He 
made  him  in  His  o\\^l  image.  He  gave  him  the  de- 
licious senses.  He  created  the  flowers  in  all  their 
beauty  to  delight  the  eye  of  man  and  their  perfume 
his  sense  of  smell.  He  made  the  forests,  plains  and 
mountains,  the  green  grass  and  the  ocean,  so  that 
man  should  never  weary.  He  gave  him  the  sunsliine, 
the  moonlight  and  the  starUght,  the  air  and  water, 
and  everything  in  the  manner  of  food  and  clotliing. 
Above  all.  He  gave  him  his  wonderful  mind  and  soul. 
How  small  a  thing  to  ask  of  every  man  and  woman 
who  believes  in  God  to  dedicate  to  the  Creator  of 
Heaven  and  Earth,  and  to  Jesus  Christ  our  Blessed 
Saviour,  a  sanctuaiy  in  the  home— in  ever\'  home. 
You  have  heard  the  message.  Hearken  unto  it  in 
your  hours  of  health  and  prosperity.  These  are  but 
ihe  things  of  this  life,  but  a  sanctuary  for  God  in 
your  home  is  a  proclamation,  an  open  acknowledg- 
ment to  all  the  world— '  a  believe  in  God  the  Father, 
and  in  the  life  to  come." 

^Miat  did  Christ  mean  in  his   Sennon    on    the 
Mount,  when  he  said:   "But  thou  when  thou  prayest, 


24  A  CHAPEL  IN    EVEEY  HOME 

enter  into  thy  closet,  and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door, 
pray  to  thy  Father  which  is  in  secret ;  and  thy  Father 
which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly?" 

The  mind  can  wander  over  many  kinds  of  closets, 
of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  and  typifying  all  ages,  but 
out  of  all  mass  of  stone,  brick,  mortar,  and  lath, 
emerges  ''A  Place  for  Prayer." 

The  idea  of  a  chapel  in  every  home,  is  not  a  pre- 
tentious chapel  with  a  Uttle  house  attached  to  it,  but 
a  home  no  matter  how  small,  with  one  little  room  in 
it,  dignified,  consecrated  and  dedicated  to  the  Al- 
mighty, God  as  the  religious  center  around  which  the 
domestic  life  can  revolve.  We  all  know  that  there  is 
no  room  in  numberless  houses  for  a  chapel,  no  matter 
how  small,  for  like  unto  the  hovels,  and  the  crowded 
tenements,  humanity  is  so  huddled  together  in  them  it 
scarcely  has  a  space  on  which  to  sleep.  We  knew  all  these 
things  before  the  message  of  a  chapel  in  every  home 
went  forth,  that  physical  conditions  made  its  fulfill- 
ment literally  impossible  in  the  places  already  re- 
ferred to,  but  we  also  knew  that  there  were  number- 
less houses  throughout  the  world,  with  small  families, 
in  which  one  room  could  at  once  be  converted  into 
**the  closet  for  prayer." 

The  greatest  opportunity  will  come  however,  in 
the  new  houses  being  constructed  every  year  through- 
out the  world,  in  which  a  little  chapel  could  be  in- 
cluded, and  as  the  present  unsuited  houses  decayed 
or  were  pulled  down  and  others  took  their  places,  a 
chapel  could  be  incorporated  in  them.  If  architects 
and  builders  will  only  take  hold  of  this  thought,  they 
can  help  materially  in  making  its  practical  adoption 
universal.  Who  ivill  be  the  first  architect  to  design 
a  row  of  houses  for  the  workingman  with  a  little 
chapel  in  every  house  in  the  row? 

The  most  used  and  plausible  argument  of  the 
devil  against  a  chapel  in  the  home,  is  the  following: 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME  25 

*'We  do  not  have  to  set  apart  a  room  in  our  home. 
God  is  everywhere  and  therefore,  He  is  in  every  part 
of  it.    Every  spot  is  sacred." 

This  seems  a  reasonable  argument  in  the  face  of 
our  belief  in  the  onmipresence  of  Almighty  God,  and 
if  the  omnipresence  alone  were  in  question,  we  could 
make  no  further  argument.  But  let  us  take  up  the 
rest  of  it.  Is  every  spot  in  every  home  aluays  a  fit 
habitation  for  the  presence  of  God?  Beginning  with 
the  attic  and  descending  to  the  cellar,  is  every  spot 
sacred?  Would  your  neighbor  say  so?  But  the  chapel 
in  the  home  would  always  be  sacred  and  presentable. 
It  does  not  matter  w^hat  part  of  the  house  you  go  to, 
it  is  associated  ninety-nine  per  cent,  with  man.  True, 
God  is  ever}'where,  but  would  it  not  be  an  act  of 
reverence  and  supreme  respect  to  provide  the  ''holy 
spot"  on  which  to  stand  in  the  exaltation  of  His 
worship  ? 

What  a  powerful  hold  Satan  has  on  many  of  us. 
The  reward  offered  by  him  is  not  salvation  and 
eternal  life,  but  present  earthly  honors,  pleasures  and 
Licentious  enjoyments.  This  Prince  of  Darkness 
stands  on  guard  at  the  door  of  every  house  to  tiy  to 
keep  out  the  chapel,  the  tribute  to  Almighty  God;  not 
only  stands  at  the  door,  but  he  is  in  every  part  of  the 
house  making  his  principal  habitation  in  the  minds  of 
the  inmates.  Extraordinary  as  it  may  seem,  there 
are  some  weak  minded  persons  who  recognize  the 
power  of  the  devil  to  such  an  extent  that  they  are 
afraid  to  come  out  and  fight  him,  or  to  challenge  and 
defy  him,  lest  he  work  some  terrible  calamity  to  them. 
Then  there  are  persons  who  enjoy  the  devil  and  all 
his  works  so  thoroughly  that  if  they  had  to  give  up 
some  of  the  pleasures  and  honors  of  this  world  and 
make  sacrifices,  they  would  rather  defy  God  than  the 
devil. 

If  one  believes  in  God,  and  is  either  building  a 
new  house  or  has  a  room  in  the  house  in  which  he  is 


26  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY    HOME 

living-  which  could  be  converted  into  a  sanctuary, 
what  excuse  could  he  really  offer  to  God  for  denying 
Him  a  sanctuary  in  the  home,  other  than  imprac- 
ticability of  performance.  Responsibility  for  the  ac- 
ceptance or  rejection  of  this  plea  must,  therefore,  be 
with  the  individual  who  receives  it. 

The  most  brilliant  argument  that  man  could  con- 
ceive for  the  adoption  of  a  chapel  in  every  home, 
could  not  even  approach  the  subject,  for  this  is  not 
a  matter  between  man  and  man,  hut  hehveen  man  and 
God.  That  exalted  character  of  this  message  is  such 
that  the  world  should  take  it  up  like  a  magnificent 
paean  to  the  Almighty  God,  and  make  it  the  most  won- 
derful and  far  reaching  tribute  ever  offered  to  Him. 
A  universal  foundation  has  already  been  laid  for  it  by 
the  reverential  and  wise  words  of  those  who  have 
recognized  the  value  of  the  thought  and  cemented 
their  approval  and  endorsement  into  its  four  corners. 
What  should  come  now  is  world-wide  momentum. 
Action.  Who  will  help  along  these  lines? — Reader — 
will  youf 

There  is  something  which  few  of  us  realize,  and 
that  is — the  existence  of  two  Bibles— the  material  and 
the  Spiritual.  The  paper,  ink,  printing  and  binding  is 
the  one,  and  the  word  of  God  is  the  other.  If  your 
Faith  w^as  perfect  you  would  know  that  there  is  a 
spiritual  atmosphere  around  the  Bible.  We  accept  it 
as  the  word  of  God,  but  treat  it  the  same  as  any  other 
book — leave  it  anywhere  and  pile  other  books,  or  any- 
thing else,  on  top  of  it.  We  see  only  one  Bible  and 
not  the  other.  The  writer's  mother  taught  him  the 
sacredness  of  God's  Word  when  he  was  a  little  fellow, 
and  during  his  life  he  can  say  that  he  has  treated  the 
Bible,  the  book  itself,  with  veneration  and  respect  and 
has  never  suffered,  or  allowed  anything  to  be  placed 
on  it,  other  than  a  prayer  book  or  hymn  book.  The 
children  of  Israel,  thousands  of  years  ago,  made  the 
Ark  of  the  Covenant  in  which   were   placed    the    two 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  27 

tablets  of  stone,  and  this  Ark  was  kept  in  the  "holy 
of  holies,"  and  now  after  all  these  centuries  of  Chris- 
tianity, martyrdom  for  Faith,  and  tremendous  efforts 
made  for  the  salvation  of  man,  we  take  the  Word  of 
God  and  carelessly  throw  it  anywhere.  There  is  no 
holy  of  holies  for  it,  and  unfortunately  in  many  homes 
if  anyone  asked  where  the  Bible  was,  they  would  have 
to  hunt  the  house  over  to  find  it.  This  is  not  con- 
sistent with  belief  in  Grod,  or  belief  that  the  Bible  is 
the  Word  of  God.  There  should  be  a  sanctuaiy  for 
this  precious  **Word"  in  every  home  where  every 
member  of  the  family  will  know  where  to  <>-o  to  find 
the  Bible. 

It  will  be  found  where  it  belongs,  on  the  altar  of 
the  Most  High  God.  You  will  touch  it  more  rever- 
ently. You  will  read  it  more  frequently,  and  you  will 
learn  truths  that  you  never  dreamed  of;  truths  that  in 
sickness  and  health,  in  reverses  and  prosperity  will 
lift  you  out  of  the  flesh  and  ye  shall  walk  wdth  God 
himself.  How  often  have  you  read  the  injunction, 
** Search  ye  the  scriptures,"  and  how  little  searching 
we  really  do.  There  are  thousands  of  people  who  have 
studied  the  poets  and  philosophers  and  who  can  quote 
freely  from  their  writings — who  never  miss  the  "best 
fiction,"  but  who  have  never  read  the  Bible  through. 
It  is  incredible  that  the  Word  of  God  should  be  the 
most  widely  circulated  but  the  least  read  and  the  least 
understood  book  in  the  world  today.  If  you  ask  the 
average  person  to  take  up  his  or  her  Bible  and  tuni 
to  almost  any  book  in  the  Old  or  New  Testament, 
excepting  Genesis  or  the  four  gospels,  you  vdW  notice 
that  they  have  considerable  difficulty  in  finding  it,  in- 
stead of  being  able  to  turn  to  it  at  once.  Why?  The 
answer  is,  unfamiliarity  with  the  Bible.  These  are 
truths  which  man  must  also  realize,  because  eveiy 
moment  he  delays  in  taking  up  his  Bible  and  stud\dng 
it  carefully,  searching  for  the  great  tniths  waiting  to 
be  revealed  to  him,  he  is  casting  away  opportunities 


28  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

to  draw  closer  to  God,  which  may  never  come  to  him 
again.  There  should  be  a  more  intimate  relation 
between  man  and  the  Bible.  It  is  the  book  of  his 
salvation  and  should  mean  more  to  him  than  a  mere 
history.  The  Bible  should  be  recognized  for  what  it 
really  is,  the  Word  of  God,  and  a  consecrated  spot  pro- 
vided for  it  in  every  home. 

Religious  revivals  have  educated  the  masses  in 
great  Bible  truths,  and  have  accomplished  much,  but 
they  have  failed  to  bring  the  world  to  God.  They  have 
brought  millions  to  the  throne  of  Grace,  but  there  are 
countless  milhons  to  be  saved.  The  regeneration  of 
mankind  must  begin  in  the  home,  in  every  home,  with 
the  child.  Then  shall  we  reach  the  world.  Every- 
thing must  begin  there  and  the  home  sanctuary  is  a 
foundation  upon  which  the  superstructure  of  a  new 
God-loving  people  may  be  built,  until  we  become  par- 
takers of  His  divine  nature. 

The  condition  of  the  world  today  is  such  that  we 
need  continuous  and  not  spasmodic  revivals.  Though 
all  humanity  is  hungering  for  religion,  it  is  drifting 
away  from  it,  and  one  of  the  principal  reasons  for  it 
is  ''modern  religious  skepticism."  Faith  is  at  its 
lowest  ebb.  New  and  up-to-date  theology  is  the  vogue. 
Human  reason  is  supplanting  Faith.  Unless  we  return 
to  Faith,  what  hope  is  there  for  the  world?  ''Abraham 
believed  in  God  and  it  was  counted  unto  him  for 
righteousness."  The  call  today  is  for  leaders  like 
Paul  and  the  other  apostles,  for  men  who  are  ready 
to  hazard  their  lives  for  Faith. 

"The  Fool  hath  said  in  his  heart :  There  is  no 
God.  They  are  corrupt ;  they  have  done  abomin- 
able works ;  there  is  none  that  doeth  good. 

' '  The  Lord  looked  dow^i  from  heaven  upon  the 
children  of  men,  to  see  if  there  were  any  that  did 
understand,  and  seek  God. ' ' — Psalms  14 :  v.  1-2, 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 


29 


Aiid  lie  is  looking  do^\^l  on  us  todaj'  just  the  same 
as  He  did  in  the  time  of  David.  Man  has  a  greater 
advantage  today,  for  he  has  the  Bible,  both  dispensa- 
tions, the  old  and  the  new,  the  projjhecies  and  the 
fulfihnents  of  many.  In  the  time  of  David  the  test  of 
P^aith  was  greater  than  now,  for  Jesus  had  not  come 
and  His  teachings  and  revealments  were  not  knowTi. 

The  Bible  is  the  only  book  in  the  world  that  can 
satisfy  the  soul  as  well  as  the  mind.  Those  in  afflic- 
tion and  tribulation  go  to  it,  and  drink  deep  of  its 
waters,  with  a  passionate  longing  for  a  touch  of  the 
Saviour's  hand;  but  when  the  affliction  is  lifted  and 
ease  comes  once  more,  many  fall  back.  Though  there 
are  healthy  believers  as  well  as  sick  ones  in  the  present 
state  of  religious  indifference,  the  ** intimate  relation' ' 
seems  only  to  come  in  the  hour  of  trouble,  and  the 
sanctuaiy  in  the  home  is  where  to  take  it,  the  holy 
spot  where  not  only  the  tears  can  be  dried  and  the 
soul  comforted,  but  where  we  can  be  bom  again  as  the 
faithful  children  of  God. 

A  noble  army  of  martyrs  gave  up  their  lives  for 
the  teachings  of  Christ.  Contrast  with  them  those 
who  today  either  argue  against  the  Bible  and  its  teach- 
ings, or  who  neither  argue  against  nor  follow.  A 
pathetic  figure  in  the  world  is  the  disbeliever,  but  the 
real  abomination  is  the  believer  who  wilfully  and  de- 
liberately shows  disrespect  to  his  God,  no  matter  how 
he  does  it.  That  man  is  more  dangerous  than  the  dis- 
believer. A  disbeliever  is  like  a  leopard,  known  by  his 
spots,  but  the  other  is  a  whitened  sepulcher.  The  dis- 
believer only  expects  to  become  carrion  when  he  dies, 
but  the  other  expects  salvation.  Between  the  two  the 
disbeliever  is  the  more  honorable  body. 

The  absence  of  religion  in  the  home — in  the  teach- 
ings of  the  parent,  is  not  overcome  by  the  churches 
and  Sunday  Schools.  Unless  the  foundation  in  the 
child  is  on  the  rock  of  parental  faith,  exemplified  by 
life  in  the  home,  he  is  destined  to  become  either  a  dis- 


30  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 

believer  or  an  apathetic  Christian.  What  would  a 
chapel  in  the  home  mean  in  the  life  of  a  child.  The 
home  is  not  only  the  foundation  of  the  State,  but 
everything  begins  there — Mother  love  and  God  love. 
Every  father  is  the  priest  of  his  house  and  every 
mother  the  priestess. 

If  this  appeal  had  been  for  a  new  kind  of  library, 
sleeping  room  or  other  material  improvement  for  the 
mental  or  physical  comfort  of  man,  it  would  have  been 
exploited  by  the  press,  talked  of  by  the  world,  and 
adopted  generally  long  ago.  The  years  have  gone 
by  and  it  is  still  knocking  at  the  door  of  the  world. 
Who  will  open  it? 

This  message  came  like  the  morning  star,  pure 
and  serene,  and  the  bearer's  eyes  are  cast  upward  to 
his  Maker,  and  not  on  mankind,  as  he  writes  it.  He  is 
seeking  g-uidance  and  direction,  so  that  the  message 
will  sink  into  the  heart  of  man,  that  he  may  enjoy  all 
the  good,  ennobling,  and  uplifting  influence  which  it 
offers.  Hear  what  the  Word  of  God  has  to  say  on  the 
chapel  in  the  home: 

''The  Lord  is  my  strength  and  song,  and  He 
is  become  my  salvation :  He  is  my  God  and  I  will 
prepare  Him  an  habitation;  my  father's  God,  and 
I  will  exalt  Him."— Exodus  15:  v.  2. 

**And  ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  kingdom  of 
priests,  and  an  holy  nation." — Exodus  19:  v.  6. 

"Thus  saith  the  Lord,  The  Heaven  is  my 
throne,  and  the  earth  is  my  footstool:  where  is 
the  house  that  ye  build  unto  me!  And  where  is 
the  place  of  my  rest?" — Isaiah  Q>Q'.  v.  1. 

''A  glorious  high  throne  from  the  beginning 
is  the  place  of  our  sanctuary." — Jeremiah  17: 
V.  12. 

*'As  David  sware  unto  the  Lord  'Surely  I 
will  not  come  into  the  tabernacle  of  my  house  nor 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY    HOME  31 

1^0  Up  into  my  1)0(1;  I  will  not  ^ivc  sleep  to  mine 
eyes,  or  slumber  to  mine  eyelids,  until  1  find  out 
a  place  for  the  Lord,  an  habitation  for  the  Mighty 
God  of  Jacob.'  "—Psalms  132:  v.  2-5. 

"For  the  palace  is  not  for  man,  but  for  the 
Lord  God."— 1  Chronicles  29:  v.  1. 

*'That  thine  eyes  may  be  ojjen  toward  this 
house  night  an<l  day,  even  toward  the  place  of 
which  thou  hast  said.  My  namo  shall  be  there: 
that  thou  mayest  hearken  unto  the  prayer  which 
thy  servant  sliall  make  toward  this  place. 

"And  hear  thou  in  heaven  thy  dwelling  place; 
and  when  thou  hearest,  forgive." — 1  Kings  8: 
v.  29-30. 

**No\v  it  came  to  pass,  as  David  sat  in  his 
house,  that  David  said  to  Nathan  the  prophet, 
Lo,  I  dwell  in  a  house  of  cedars,  but  the  ark  of  the 
covenant  of  the  Lord  reraiainetli  under  curtains." 
— 1  Chronicles  17:  v.  1. 

"O  Lord  our  God,  all  this  store  that  we  have 
prepared  to  build  thee  an  house  for  thine  holy 
name  cometh  of  thine  hand,  and  is  all  thine  own." 
— 1  Chronicles  11 :  v.  16. 

"Thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  Although  I  have 
cast  them  afar  off  among  the  heathen,  and  al- 
though I  have  scattered  them  among  the  countries, 
yet  will  I  be  to  them  as  a  little  sanctuary  in  the 
countries  where  they  shall  come." — Ezekiel  11  : 
V.  16. 

"My  tabernacle  also  shall  be  with  them;  yea, 
I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people. 

* '  And  the  heathen  shall  know  that  I  the  Lord 
do  sanctify  Israel,  when  my  sanctuary  shall  be  in 
the  midst  of  them  for  evermore." — Ezekiel  37  : 
V.  27-28. 

"Woe  unto  them  that  join  house  to  house, 
that  lay  field  to  field,  till  there  be  no  place,  that 


32  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME 

they  may  be  placed  alone  in  the  midst   of  the 
earth ! 

''In  mine  ears  said  the  Lord  of  hosts,  Of  a 
truth  many  houses  shall  be  desolate,  even  great 
and  fair,  without  inhabitant." — Isaiah  4:  v.  8-9. 

"And  thou  shalt  know  that  thy  tabernacle 
shall  be  in  peace ;  and  thou  shalt  visit  thy  habita- 
tion, and  shalt  not  sin. ' ' — Job  5 :  v.  24. 

"For  in  the  time  of  trouble  he  shall  hide  me 
in  his  pavilion:  in  the  secret  of  his  tabernacle 
shall  he  hide  me ;  he  shall  set  me  up  upon  a  rock. ' ' 
— ^Psalms  27 :  v.  5. 

"Holiness  becometh  thine  house,  0  Lord,  for- 


"  Because  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  our  God 
I  will  seek  thy  good."— Psalms  122:  v.  9. 

"Behold,  bless  ye  the  Lord,  all  ye  servants  of 
the  Lord,  which  by  night  stand  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord. 

"Lift  up  your  hands  in  the  sanctuary,  and 
bless  the  Lord."— Psalms  134:  v.  1-2. 

' '  Praise  ye  the  Lord.  Praise  God  in  his  sanc- 
tuary: praise  him  in  the  firmament  of  his  power." 
— Psalms  150:  v.  1. 

"But  continue  thou  in  the  things  thou  hast 
learned  and  hast  been  assured  of,  knowing  of 
whom  thou  hast  learned  them;  And  that  from  a 
child  thou  hast  known  the  holy  scriptures,  which 
are  able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salvation  through 
faith  which  is  in  Jesus  Christ."— II  Timothy  3: 
V.  14-15. 

Visions  of  the  abandonment  of  all  pleasures,  joy 
and  gladness,  will  be  conjured  up  by  the  Prince  of 
Darkness,  in  order  to  set  man  against  the  chapel  in 
the  home.  He  will  cause  the  human  mind  to  picture 
long,  solemn-faced  heads  of  families,  whose  very  pres- 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  33 

once  is  ciilculated  to  crush  all  the  joy  and  sunshine 
out  of  young  life.  This  powerful  Prince  of  Darkness, 
who  exercises  such  a  strong  influence  over  the  weak, 
is  a  master  in  suggesting  to  the  human  mind  the 
horror  and  desolation  of  being  good.  Defy  this  power 
and  praise  the  Lord.  If  you  want  sparkling,  radiant 
goy  and  happiness  in  your  home,  consecrate  a  little 
chapel  in  it.  Sing,  be  glad,  and  feast  as  much  as  ye 
ever  did,  but  there  \\'ill  be  a  place  for  a  prayer  and  a 
time  for  it.  The  time  is  approaching  when  a  house 
without  a  sanctuaiy  will  be  no  better  than  a  stable, 
and  a  house  with  a  sanctuary,  though  only  one  story 
high,  \nll  be  greater  than  the  palace  without  one.  You 
have  read  what  the  Scriptures  say  about  the  habita- 
tion for  Almighty  God.  It  is  not  a  question  of  "How 
can  we  deny  it,  but  how  quickly  we  can  enter  into  our 
o\\Ti  sanctuary  and  weep  over  our  neglect  ? ' ' 

Then  what  are  those  people  going  to  do  who 
have  absolutely  no  room  for  a  chapel  or  sanctuary  in 
their  homes  ?  Are  they  to  be  condemned  ?  That  has 
already  been  answered.  Physical  impossibility  is  a 
barrier  which  time  and  circumstances  alone  can  re- 
move, and  until  that  time,  if  they  believe,  their  sanc- 
tuary is  in  their  heart. 

Custom  has  made  rehgion  too  much  of  a  Sabbath 
observance  and  not  enough  of  a  daily  one,  and  even 
then  it  is  a  real  effort  for  some  people  to  go  to  church. 
If  they  can  get  out  of  it  by  any  reasonable  means, 
satisfying  to  their  conscience,  they  will  do  so.  Some 
people  look  upon  going  to  church  as  a  plain  duty  and 
nothing  more,  and  they  fulfill  it  patiently  and  faith- 
fully. Such  a  condition  of  mind  is  not  religion.  Re- 
ligion is  a  worship  of  the  Almighty  God,  a  genuine 
pouring  forth  of  the  soul  and  heart  in  supplication  for 
ourselves  and  for  others,  but  it  must  spring  from  the 
soul  with  spontaneity  and  Faith,  and  that  sense  of 
duty  referred  to  must  be  as  far  away  as  the  poles. 
Often  the  human  heart  is  filled  \nth  agony  and  wants 


34  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME 

some  place  where  it  can  pour  it  forth;  and  what  a 
help  is  the  ''sanctuary"  in  the  home  in  such  a  moment. 
The  very  word  sanctuary  is  a  haven  in  itself,  into 
which  we  can  take  our  ship  in  the  storms  of  life,  and 
there  under  the  lee,  protected  from  the  hurricane  and 
the  migiity  sea,  we  can  take  on  a  new  Pilot — Jesus  of 
Nazareth — and  place  our  ship  in  His  hands.  He 
stilled  the  waters  of  Galilee  and  He  can  still  the 
troubled  waters  of  our  soul. 

The  human  desire  is  to  pray  in  secret,  and  there- 
fore a  little  chapel  to  steal  into  and  fall  on  one's 
knees  and  open  our  hearts,  is  a  joy  that  must  ulti- 
mately be  carried  into  every  home.  The  progress  Mall 
be  slow  until  the  world  awakens  some  morning  to  the 
real  value  of  this  blessed  thought.  When  that  time 
comes  meetings  and  conventions  will  be  held,  and  the 
mighty  men  \A\\  rise  up  and  speak  for  its  adoption 
with  the  eloquence  of  David.  No  longer  will  there 
be  one  solitary  human  being  searching  his  heart  and 
soul  for  words  to  try  to  give  to  the  world  the  message. 
So  great  has  the  message  always  appeared  to  him 
that  he  would  write  it  in  great  letters  across  the  sky, 
"Let  there  be  a  Chapel  in  Every  Home,''  so  that  all 
men,  women  and  children  every  time  they  looked  up- 
ward would  see  it. 

"And  ye  shall  hear  of  wars  and  rumors  of 
wars:  see  that  ye  be  not  troubled:  for  all  these 
things  must  come  to  pass,  but  the  end  is  not  yet. 

"For  nation  shall  rise  against  nation,  and 
kingdom  against  kingdom :  and  there  shall  be  fam- 
ines, and  pestilence,  and  earthquakes  in  divers 
places. 

"All  these  are  the  beginnings  of  sorrows. 

"Then  shall  they  deliver  you  up  to  be  afflicted, 
and  shall  kill  you:  and  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all 
nations  for  my  name's  sake. 

"And  many  false  prophets  shall  rise,  and 
shall  deceive  many. 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME  35 

''And  because  iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love 
of  many  shall  wax  cold. 

"But  he  that  shall  endure  unto  the  end,  the 
same  shall  be  saved. 

"And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be 
preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all 
nations;  and  then  shall  the  end  come. 

"When  ye  therefore  shall  see  the  abomina- 
tion of  desolation,  spoken  of  by  Daniel,  the 
prophet,  stand  in  the  holy  place,  (whoso  readeth, 
let  him  understand)."— Matthew  24:  v.  G-15. 

"Stand  in  the  holy  place!"  Jesus  spake  these 
words,  and  if  the  end  came  today,  w^hat  holy  place 
w^ould  we  stand  in?  If  all  the  churches  were  filled  to 
their  capacity  they  would  not  hold  one-tenth  of  us. 
But  with  a  sanctuary  in  every  home,  we  could  stand 
in  the  holy  place  and  await  the  ^\^ll  of  Almighty  God. 
The  chapel  in  the  home  is  not  a  luxury;  it  is  a 
necessity.  It  belongs  in  the  home  of  the  lowly  as  well 
as  the  mighty;  in  every  home.  To  architects  then,  this 
appeal  is  presented,  to  take  the  initiative,  when  called 
upon  to  make  drawings  for  a  home  of  any  kind,  and  to 
include  the  chapel.  The  larger  the  home,  the  larger 
the  chapel,  but  a  chapel  in  every  home. 

The  fires  of  the  thought  of  "A  Chapel  in  Every 
Home"  have  been  smouldering  for  a  long  time.  Soon 
they  will  burst  into  a  conflagration  of  adoption  which 
will  sweep  the  world;  not  for  the  aesthetic  addition  of 
bricks,  mortar  and  plaster  to  our  dwellings,  but  for 
the  holy  place  in  which  we  can  stand  when  the  last 
trumpet  shall  sound,  the  holy  place,  God's  sanctuar}\ 
The  night  is  coming.  Let  us  not  delay  in  accept- 
ing the  opportunity  to  participate  in  this  glorious 
movement  for  the  making  of  a  better  world;  a  new 
influence  on  child  Ufe,  which  shall  make  him  a  better 
man ;  a  new  personal  bond  between  ourselves  and  our 
Creator,  and  a  universal  recognition  of  the  necessity 
of  "a  closer  walk  with  God"  in  our  dailv  life. 


36  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME 

Let  every  man  who  believes  extend  an  invitation 
to  the  Father  to  come  and  dwell  with  him  and  his 
household  by  preparing  for  Him  a  habitation. 

Start  not  and  say  "My  home  is  too  small,  every 
room  is  occupied."  Accept  the  thought  in  your 
hearts,  the  rest  will  come.  God  will  take  care  of  those 
who  have  it  only  in  the  heart,  and  would  do  if  they 
could. 

The  solution  of  the  world's  unrest  can  only,  and 
eventually  must  come,  through  religion.  There  are 
many  nationalities  but  only  one  God.  The  various 
conceptions  of  His  powers  and  limitations  issuing  out 
of  the  different  creeds  and  denominations  will  be 
merged  through  Faith  into  one  belief  when  the  peace 
of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding  shall  over- 
spread the  world,  and  capital  and  labor  work  together 
forever  in  harmony.  The  foundation  of  the  unity  of 
all  religions  is  in  the  home,  and  the  "holy  place"  in 
the  house  will  be  the  preparation  for  it. 

Then  let  us  adopt  as  one  people  and  for  all  time  the 
obligation  to  Almighty  God  to  set  apart  wherever  pos- 
sible in  every  dwelling  now  erected,  and  to  include  in 
every  dwelling,  whether  it  be  house,  tenement,  apart- 
ment or  institution,  hereafter  erected,  and  wheresoever 
located,  one  room,  small  or  large,  as  circumstances  may 
permit,  disassociated  with  the  worldly  things  of  this 
life,  and  specially  dedicated  and  consecrated  to  Him  as 
''the  Chapel  in  the  Home." 


Chapter  ii. 


ITS  ORIGIN 

The  presentation  of  the  sugg^estion  of  ''A  Chapel 
in  Even^  Home"  has  been  referred  to  repeatedly  by 
the  writer  as  a  ''message''  to  humanity,  implying  a 
Divine  origin.  These  are  the  facts  surrounding  its 
inception : 

As  a  young  man  he  deeply  regretted  the  limita- 
tions of  his  ability  to  help  his  fellow  man.  He  could 
give  him  personal  sei*\'ice,  pray  with  him  and  hope  for 
him,  but  little  else.  Sickness  and  unliappiness  seemed 
to  surround  him  on  all  sides,  and  as  he  grow  nearer 
and  closer  to  his  Maker  he  commenced  to  pray  that 
God  would  make  him  His  agent  to  help  humanity.  He 
had  no  idea  what  way  He  could  or  would  use  him,  but 
for  ten  years,  night  and  morning,  he  made  the  same 
earnest  plea  to  the  Almighty  God  to  make  him  His 
agent.  He  knew  no  better  word  than  that,  and  he  used 
it  every  time  he  prayed.  The  months  and  years  passed 
but  he  never  felt  discouraged.  He  kept  on  offering 
himself  and  pleading  for  the  world,  and  lo !  after  years 
of  supplication,  God  answered  his  prayer.  One  blessed 
Sabbath  morning  He  made  him  the  bearer  of  this 
message  to  all  the  world,  *'Let  there  be  a  Chapel  in 
Every  Home. ' ' 

It  was  so  exalting  that  he  could  scarcely  believe 
that  God  had  selected  him  to  give  this  message  to 
humanity.  It  was  the  most  direct  and  marvelous 
answer  to  prayer. 

What  a  wonderful  Sabbath  morn  that  was.  **A 
Chapel  in  Every  Home !"  He  felt  like  going  on  to  the 
street  and  shouting  out  the  message  to  the  world,  with 
a  feeling  that  it  would  be  transmitted  instantaneously 
to  every  part  of  it. 

He  had  the  message.  How  should  he  deliver  it  I 
The  five  words  told  the  whole  story.     There  was  so 


38  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

little  to  write  about  that  it  would  not  make  up  a  book. 
The  first  thing  he  did,  however,  was  to  reduce  the 
elaborating  thoughts  as  they  came  to  him,  to  writing, 
and  after  he  had  completed  the  manuscript  he  had  it 
set  up  in  type  and  sent  it  to  every  member  of  the 
House  of  Bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
in  the  United  States,  who  as  far  as  the  message  was 
concerned,  were  opportunely  attending  the  General 
Conference  in  Washington,  D.  C.  This  was  in  1898. 
At  the  same  time  he  sent  a  copy  to  the  Archbishops 
and  Bishops  of  the  Anglican  Church  in  G-reat  Britain, 
also  to  several  well  known  ministers  of  different  de- 
nominations in  the  United  States.  The  harvest  was 
small  but  rich.  About  five  per  cent,  of  the  House  of 
Bishops  acknowledged  it  and  about  two  per  cent,  of 
the  Ajiglican  Bishops,  but  their  responses  were  of  such 
a  cliaracter  as  to  indicate  that  the  thought  of  ''A 
Chapel  in  Every  Home"  was  something  that  the  world 
was  waiting  for. 

The  most  responsive  acknowledgment  came  from 
the  late  George  Dana  Boardman,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  for 
thirty  years  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in 
Philadelphia,  which  has  already  been  quoted.  His 
imperishable  words  gave  the  bearer  of  this  message 
courage  and  happiness.  He  now  had  the  message  and 
comments  on  it  by  distinguished  churchmen.  The  next 
thing  was  to  publish  it.  He  took  it  to  one  of  the  fore- 
most newspapers  in  Philadelphia,  filled  with  exalta- 
tion over  what  he  was  offering.  The  City  Editor, 
whom  he  knew  personally,  read  it  through  carefully, 
and  handed  it  back  to  him  with  the  comment : 

"It  has  no  news  value;  we  cannot  use  it." 

The  same  day  he  called  on  the  Editor  of  another 
large  daily  paper  and  he  showed  immediate  interest. 

"What  do  you  want    for    the    article?"    he 
asked. 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  39 

''Its  publication,"  was  the  reply. 

"Very  well,"  he  said,  "we  will  give  it  half 
a  page  and  illustrate  it.  It  will  come  out  in  two 
weeks,"  and  it  did. 


The  writer  then  went  over  to  New  York  and  called 
on  the  City  Editor  of  The  New  York  Herald.  He  was 
kind  but  skeptical — not  of  the  value  of  the  thought — 
but  of  the  world.  He  read  the  article  and  also  the 
original  comments  from  the  Bishops  and  other  church- 
men. Finally  he  agreed  to  publish  it  with  its  endorse- 
ments, and  simultaneously,  on  the  thirtieth  day  of 
October,  1898,  the  message  of  "A  Chapel  in  Every 
Home"  went  out  to  the  world  through  The  Neiv  York, 
Herald  and  The  Philadelphia  Press.  The  writer  ex- 
pected to  see  the  newspapers  around  the  globe  take 
up  the  thought  and  from  that  time  on  people  every- 
where begin  to  make  plans  for  chapels  in  their  homes, 
but  the  articles  in  the  Herald  and  Press  were  the 
Alpha  and  Omega.  It  was  a  painful  surprise.  The 
message  had  been  published,  however,  with  the  views 
on  it  by  Bishops  and  other  churchmen,  and  he  bought 
a  large  number  of  both  papers  for  distribution. 

The  article  published  in  The  Philadelphia  Press 
and  TJte  Neiv  York  Herald  follows: 

"A  CHAPEL  IN  EVERY  HOME." 

The  New  York  Herald  and  Philadelphia  Press,  October  30th,  1898. 

"A  religious  atmosphere  is  so  essential  to  a  true 
home  that  it  is  strange  the  thought  of  incorporating  a 
small  chapel  in  every  house  has  not  presented  itself 
before  this  to  the  Christian  world. 

"In  most  American  homes  a  room  no  larger  than 
a  bathroom  would  answer  all  requirements.  Its  sacred 
character  could  be  imparted  by  a  colored  glass  window, 
tiny  altar,  prie  dieu  and  other  religious  emblems,  in 
consonance  with  the  views  of  individual  worshippers. 

"It  is  quite  probable  that  the  existence  of  a  spot 
thus  hallowed  in  every  house  would  have  a  decidedly 


40  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

beneficial  effect  on  the  inmates,  for  there  axe  times 
when,  either  in  trouble  or  sickness,  the  heart  longs  for 
communion  with  God  in  some  quiet  chamber,  from 
w^hich  the  garish  light  of  day  has  been  excluded. 

''With  a  room  specially  created  for  this  purpose, 
dedicated  to  worship  and  flooded  with  a  tender  at- 
mosphere, breathing  of  sacredness  and  tranquillity,  a 
yearning  would  be  satisfied  and  a  custom  established 
that  would  find  many  sympathizers. 

''The  nearest  approach  to  this  is  perhaps  found 
in  the  homes  of  devout  Christians  who  have  dedicated 
a  comer  of  their  bedrooms  to  worship,  and  placed 
there  the  symbols  of  their  faith,  before  which  they 
kneel  while  offering  up  their  orisons. 

"Up  to  the  present  day  a  chapel  in  connection 
with  the  households  of  private  individuals  has  been 
confined  exclusively  to  those  born  to  high  estate  or  to 
the  wealthy. 

"In  England  and  on  the  Continent,  each  royal 
residence  has  its  chapel,  in  some  instances  dating  back 
centuries,  and  many  members  of  the  nobility  and 
landed  gentry  have  copied  the  example  and  erected 
within  their  castle  walls  or  on  their  large  estates 
private  chapels  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  members 
of  the  family  and  the  tenantry. 

"The  idea,  which  dates  back  to  the  medieval  ages, 
has  also  impressed  itself  upon  a  small  percentage  of 
those  who  have  amassed  or  inlierited  wealth,  and  there 
are  instances,  both  in  this  country  and  abroad,  where 
in  the  construction  of  the  modem  palatial  residence, 
as  much  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  chapel  as  to 
the  art  gaUery. 

' '  Colleges,  universities,  large  private  schools,  hos- 
pitals and  like  institutions  may  be  cited  as  a  half-way 
step  between  the  church  and  the  private  dwelling. 
They  afford  an  illustration  of  the  advantages  derived 
from  having  a  private  place  for  worship  in  connection 
with  each  institution.  The  addition  of  a  private 
chapel  gives  a  fullness  and  completeness  to  the  institu- 
tion, affording  a  religious  influence  essential  to  the 
realization  of  its  noblest  objects. 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  41 

"But  to  go  back  to  the  idea  of  a  chapel  for  eveiy 
house,  apart  from  its  usefulness  in  providing  a  special 
chamber  for  spiritual  communion,  it  would  mean  the 
introduction  of  an  entirely  new  atmosphere  in  a  house- 
hold, and  distill  a  purity  and  dignity  unobtainable 
from  any  other  source.  It  could  be  mi\de  a  little 
temple  into  which  one  could  retire  at  any  time  and 
feel  as  far  removed  from  the  sordid  interests  of  life 
as  in  the  precincts  of  the  church. 

"Further,  it  would  be  a  universal  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  supreme  value  of  religion  in  the  activities 
of  every  day  existence. 

"With  such  a  foundation  to  build  on,  one  need 
not  go  very  far  out  of  his  way  to  make  the  suggestion 
an  accompUshed  fact  and  become  the  possessor  of  a 
private  chapel  of  more  or  less  beauty  or  simplicity  for 
the  use  of  his  household. 

"As  with  every  radical  innovation  of  sweeping 
character,  it  is  not  only  necessary  to  prove  its  value, 
but  to  find  some  vulnerable  point  of  the  armor  of  old- 
established  custom  and  tradition  through  which  the 
shaft  of  light  can  pass.  The  history  of  most  innova- 
tions will  show  that  they  were  first  praised,  then 
opposed  and  condemned  and  finally  accepted  by  all. 

"In  this  instance  the  question  resolves  itself  into 
one  of  appeal  to  those  whose  condition  of  enlighten- 
ment makes  them  amenable  to  that  which  would  elevate 
and  ennoble;  in  other  words,  bring  religion  closer  to 
them  by  establishing  a  private  place  of  worship  in 
their  house. 

"At  first  thought,  it  w^ould  almost  appear  that 
such  a  suggestion  was  intended  to  interfere  mth  the 
prerogatives  of  the  Church  by  inviting  people  to  wor- 
ship at  home  instead  of  congregating  together  in 
larger  edifices. 

"On  the  contrary,  the  suggestion  of  a  chapel  in 
every  house  is  intended  to  strengthen  the  love  for  re- 
ligious worship  by  providing  a  link  between  home  and 
church,  in  which  the  teachings  of  the  Sabbath  may  be 
digested  throughout  the  week  days,  and  continually 
suggested  by  the  presence  of  sacred  symbols. 

"Add  to  this  the  absolute  necessity  of  a  place  for 
worship  for  those  who  are  confined  to  the  house  by 


42  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME 

sickness,  and  for  the  early  association  of  little  lives 
with  the  sentiment  and  atmosphere  of  religion. 

''The  reality  of  such  surroundings  could  not  fail 
to  have  an  impressive  effect,  and  it  is  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  it  would  aid  the  young  in  concentrating 
their  minds  upon  the  prayer  or  hjTun  selected  for  the 
morning  or  evening  devotional  exercises.  In  this  home 
chapel  children  could  be  trained  from  early  infancy. 

"But  the  allurements  of  such  a  retreat  are  so 
manifold  that  the  subject  opens  the  way  to  a  volume  of 
reasons  why  a  private  chapel  should  exist  in  every 
household,  whereas  it  is  the  intention  of  the  writer  to 
simply  suggest  such  an  innovation. 

''A  practical  beginning  could  be  made  in  this 
direction  in  the  many  new  building  operations  now 
going  on  and  being  formulated.  Plans  could  be  altered 
so  as  to  include  a  small  chapel,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  house  seekers  will  not 
be  satisfied  ^\^th  any  house  unless  one  room,  no  matter 
how  small,  is  specially  constructed  for  private 
worship." 

With  the  aid  of  the  different  church  almanacs  he 
was  enabled  to  find  the  addresses  and  to  send  copies 
of  this  article  to  every  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  and  to  every  Archbishop  and  Bishop  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  America,  and  also  to 
the  Archbishops  and  Bishops  of  the  Anglican  Church, 
with  a  personal  letter.  They  would  have  been  sent  to 
leading  churchmen  in  countries  where  the  English 
language  was  not  spoken,  only  the  barrier  of  language 
confronted  him,  and  the  absence  of  all  reference  books 
of  the  names  of  the  clergy  in  nations  of  other  tongues 
than  his  own.  There  was  also  the  additional  question 
of  expense. 

The  responses  from  the  proof  of  this  article,  and 
later  from  its  pubUcation,  though  few  in  number,  were 
rich  in  encouragement,  and  are  published  chronologi- 
callv  in  the  order  received: 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  43 


THE  FIRST  ENDORSERS. 

The  Right  Rev.  Henry  C.  Potter,  Bishop  of  New 
York: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Everj^  Home'  is  admirable  and 
most  timely.  We  are  losing:  the  habit  which  was  so 
powerful  an  element  in  the  life  of  our  fathers,  of 
domestic  devotion.  A  place  for  it  implies  a  time  for 
it,  and  a  devotional  atmosphere  recalls,  sobers  and 
uplifts.  In  creating  such  an  atmosphere,  fit  environ- 
ment is  a  most  important  factor.'' 

The  Right  Rev.  Leighton  Coleman,  Bishop  of 
Delaware : 

"The  subject  upon  which  I  have  been  asked  to 
write — *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home' — is  one  in  regard 
to  which  I  have  always  felt  much  interest  and  anxiety. 
1  have  always  felt  this  great  interest  because  the  mat- 
ter is  one  of  such  vital  concern  to  all  the  families  of 
the  land.  Hardly  anything,  indeed,  is  more  a  matter 
of  vital  concern.  It  has  to  do  with  our  most  intimate 
relations  ^v^th  God,  and  with  one  another.  Family 
prayer  is  one  of  the  three  great  divisions  of  Prayer — 
Private,  Family  and  Public.  Negligence  concerning  it 
in  any  one  of  these  parts  is  sure  to  entail  great 
spiritual  loss. 

"My  anxiety  arises  from  a  belief  that  there  is  a 
\ndespread  neglect  of  family  worship.  In  this  respect 
there  has  been,  I  fear,  a  marked  decadence  during  the 
past  few  years.  Anything,  therefore,  that  will  to  any 
degree  conduce  to  a  better  observance  of  this  duty,  as 
I  esteem  it,  has  my  wannest  sympathy.  It  is  as  be- 
lieving that  the  reservation  in  every  home  of  an  apart- 
ment, or  the  erection  in  connection  with  every  home  of 
a  chapel,  where  family  worship  may  be  regularly  held 
is  a  distinct  gain  in  this  direction  that  I  would  advo- 
cate such  an  arrangement  Anth  all  my  heart.  Ha\'ing 
at  my  residence  at  Wilmington  such  a  chapel,  I  can 
write  all  the  more  emphatically  of  the  many  ad- 
vantages belonging  to  such  a  building.  The  setting 
apart  of  some  particular  edifice,  or  portion  of  edifice, 
for  this  purpose  is  a  distinct  addition  to  the  spiritual 


44  A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME 

power  of  every  household  and  to  the  religious  educa- 
tion of  every  member  thereof. 

"I  am  writing  in  the  midst  of  exacting  duties  at 
our  General  Convention,  and,  therefore,  can  by  no 
means  do  justice  to  this  most  important  and  interest- 
ing subject  of  whose  public  presentation  I  am  very 


The  Right  Rev.  John  Scarborough,  Bishop  of  New 
Jersey : 

^*  'The  Church  in  the  House'  is  as  old  as  the  New 
Testament  and  is  not  unknown  in  this  day.  I  know  a 
good  many  homes  that  are  now  supplied  with  'Ora- 
tories,' or  places  of  prayer  for  the  family.  If  all 
homes  could  have  such  a  room  set  apart,  it  would  be 
most  desirable.  But,  of  course,  only  the  homes  of  the 
well-to-do  could  be  so  enriched.  The  homes  of  the 
poor  are  too  often  crowded  and  cramped.  Where  it 
is  possible,  it  would  be  most  desirable  that  the  propo- 
sition of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  should  be  carried 
out." 

The  Right  Rev.  H.  A.  Neely,  Bishop  of  Maine : 

"I  can  think  of  no  more  wholesome  provision  for 
any  Christian  household  than  that  of  a  Chapel  in  the 
house.  Many  considerations  could  be  urged  for  it,  of 
which  I  name  but  one,  viz.,  that  it  would  go  far  to 
assure  the  maintenance  of  family  worship,  which  I 
fear  is  becoming  sadly  neglected  among  us." 

The  Right  Rev.  Anson  R.  Graves,  Bishop  of 
Laramie : 

' '  The  idea  of  a  Chapel  in  each  home  is  a  beautiful 
and  practical  one,  and  I  trust  the  article  may  result  in 
starting  a  movement  in  that  direction." 

The  Right  Rev.  T.  U.  Dudley,  Bishop  of  Kentucky: 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  have  read  the 
article  with  great  interest.  I  hope  that  you  will  con- 
tinue to  write  on  the  same  lines,  because  I  am  per- 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  45 

suaded  that  you  will  receive  help  to  revive  what  is,  I 
fear,  an  almost  lost  habit — that  of  family  i)rayer." 

The  Right  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Clark,  Bishop  of 
Rhode  Island: 

"I  think  it  would  be  well,  whenever  it  is  prac- 
ticable, that  there  should  be  a  room  in  every  home 
especially  consecrated  to  the  purposes  of  private  and 
family  worship.  I  enclose  an  article  which  I  have 
recently  published  which  may  serve  to  indicate  my 
views  in  regard  to  the  prevailing  neglect  of  family 
devotions,  and  I  am  too  feeble  at  present  to  say  any- 
thing further: 

"A  Household  Without  God. 
"By  the  Bishop  of  Rhode  Island. 

''In  this  nominally  Christian  land  there  are  very 
many  households  in  which  there  is  never  any  outward 
recognition  of  the  existence  of  a  God.  In  the  morning 
the  father  goes  off  to  his  business  or  his  pleasures, 
the  children  are  sent  to  school,  the  mother  goes  on 
with  her  household  duties,  and  at  night  they  all  retire 
to  their  rest — while  in  the  meantime  no  word  of 
Scripture  has  been  read,  no  word  of  prayer  spoken, 
no  allusion  made  to  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  or  the  fact 
of  an  eternal  hereafter.  When  the  Saviour  was  on 
earth,  He  consorted  with  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
men  and  not  unfrequently  was  the  gTiest  of  those  who 
had  no  sympathy  with  Ilim  or  His  mission.  If  He 
sliould  now  return  to  us  in  person  He  might  possibly 
find  shelter  under  the  roof  of  such  a  godless  family  as 
we  have  described.  As  the  shadows  of  evening  de- 
scend, we  can  imagine  Him  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the 
household  circle  and  saying  to  them:  'My  friends,  you 
must  know  that  I  came  into  the  world  to  die,  in  order 
that  you  might  be  saved  from  sin  and  death.  Are  you 
not  conscious  of  anything  wrong  in  your  conduct  which 
needs  to  be  forgiven  ?  Do  you  never  feel  the  need  of 
the  great  blessings  which  it  is  in  my  power  to  give 
you?  You  are  very  solicitous  for  the  temporal  wel- 
fare of  your  children — have  you  no  care  for  their 
spiritual  wants?    Are  you  willing  to  expose  them  to 


46  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME 

the  terrible  temptations  of  such  a  world  as  this,  with- 
out directing  them  to  the  only  Being  who  can  protect 
and  shelter  them  from  harm?  Do  you  never  think 
what  awaits  you  in  the  future?  All  may  be  very 
bright  and  cheerful  today,  but  sooner  or  later  the 
clouds  will  gather  and  darkness  enshroud  your  dwell- 
ing. There  may  be  a  vacant  seat  here,  and  one 
familiar  voice  which  in  the  past  has  made  your  home 
so  cheerful  will  be  no  more  on  earth. 

"  'Sooner  or  later  the  time  will  come  when  each 
of  you  will  be  called  to  go  down  into  the  dark  valley 
and  take  that  last  dread  journey  which  every  one  must 
travel  alone,  and  unless  you  have  Me  for  your  friend, 
who  is  to  welcome  you  when  you  reach  the  eternal 
world  f ' 

''It  is  possible  that  these  are  the  terms  in  which 
the  Saviour  might  address  you ;  and  if  He  is  not  in  all 
your  thoughts,  if  you  never  pray  to  Him,  never  con- 
fess your  sins  to  Him,  and  never  thank  Him  for  His 
mercies,  you  are  living  without  God  in  the  world ;  and 
this  is  to  be  without  hope  at  the  time  when  you  will 
be  in  greatest  need  of  help." 

The  Eight  Rev.  Daniel  S.  Tuttle,  of  Missouri, 
Presiding  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  United  States: 

''The  Church  and  the  State  both  depend  for  vigor 
and  stability  upon  the  home.  Anything,  therefore, 
emphasizing  the  vital  comiection  between  the  '  Church ' 
and  the  'Home,'  as  a  'Chapel'  does,  is  of  value." 

The  Bishop  of  Newcastle,  England: 

"I  think  it  would  be  an  excellent  thing  if,  wher- 
ever practicable,  a  small  Oratory  (call  it  what  you 
will)  could  be  set  apart  in  every  house  for  family  wor- 
ship and  where  any  member  of  the  household  might 
not  be  ashamed  to  pray.  In  England  we  have  chapels 
attached  to  many  large  houses,  and  to  residences  of 
Bishops  almost  mthout  exception,  and  I  cannot  say 
how  much  I  value  mv  o^^al." 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  47 

The    Right    Rev.    William  F.  Nichols,  Bishop  of 
California : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  An  American  home 
may  mean  a  mere  dwelling.  The  imnates  may  have  a 
common  table,  common  night  keys  and  up  to  a  certain 
extent  common  bills.  In  such  a  home  a  chapel  would 
probably  be  somewhat  like  family  plate,  kept  in  safety 
deposit  vaults — for  use  only  on  great  occasions.  But 
in  what  I  beheve  is  the  far  more  typical  American 
home,  where  the  hearth  stone  is  cemented  and  sancti- 
fied by  religion,  a  place  set  apart  simple  and  sacredly, 
would  tend  to  make  some  member  of  the  family  reso- 
lute, and  that  oftentimes  is  what  is  needed  in  a  Chris- 
tian family — to  sweeten  the  daily  life  with  at  least  a 
few  devotional  words  from  the  family  as  a  whole, 
l)lessing  the  joys  and  soothing  the  trials  as  they  come. 
With  the  provision  of  such  a  spot  in  the  architecture 
for  a  Christian  home  there  might  well  go  the  custom, 
which  I  have  ever  found  welcomed  in  California,  of 
having  a  special  service  of  benediction  about  the  time 
of  the  opening  of  a  new  Home." 

The  Right  Rev.  G.  AVorthington,  Bishop  of  Neb- 
raska : 

**  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Over  thirteen  years 
ago  I  built  my  present  residence  in  this  city  and  ar- 
ranged for  an  Oratory  which  is  sufficiently  large,  not 
only  for  the  daily  offices  which  are  said  there,  but  for 
special  Episcopal  sets  as  occasion  requires.  It  has  not 
alone  been  a  great  convenience  to  one  in  my  position, 
but  it  has  been  in  many  ways  a  blessing  to  those  who 
are  members  of  my  household. 

"I  doubt  not  that  a  special  place  for  prayer  and 
praise,  and  consecrated  by  the  daily  use  of  the  family 
under  the  direction  of  the  head  of  the  house,  who  is 
divinely  appointed  as  Priest  in  the  home,  would  bring 
a  sweet  benediction  to  those  who  desire  communion 
^^'ith  God,  and  believe  in  His  promise  that  'where  two 
or  three  are  met  together  in  ^My  name  there  am  I  in 
the  midst  of  them.'  " 


48  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME 

The  Bishop  of  Rochester,  England : 

' '  The  suggestion,  is  I  think,  excellent  and  not  least 
in  a  country  where  house  building  is  such  an  art  as  it 
is  in  yours.  The  value  of  a  thing  of  the  kind,  will,  of 
course,  depend  on  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  done.  To 
make  a  toy  of  it  would  be  far  worse  than  not  to  have  it 
at  all.  But  to  give  some  visible  expression  to  what 
should  be  the  sacred  center  of  every  home  life  must, 
according  to  every  principle,  be  right.  In  this  con- 
nection, I  was  struck  by  the  saying  of  a  medical  friend 
who  told  me  he  was  conscious  that  he  could  give  an 
opinion  better  and  more  effectively  in  his  consulting 
room  than  elsewhere." 


The  Right  Rev.  Leigh  R.  Brewer,  Bishop  of  Mon- 
tana: 

^'  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  is  deserving  of  se- 
rious consideration.  It  would  add  to  the  sanctity  of  the 
home,  deepen  the  religious  life  and  be  a  safeguard 
against  irreverence  and  wrong  doiug  in  the  family." 

The  Rev.  George  Dana  Boardman,  D.  D.,  LL.  D., 
for  thirty  years  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  of 
Philadelphia : 

"The  idea  of  a  'Chapel  for  Every  House'  is  ex- 
ceedingly happy.  Were  the  idea  carried  out,  it  would 
tend  to  make  every  home  a  sacred  establishment;  it 
would  make  worship  a  daily  privilege  instead  of  a 
weekly;  it  would  make  worship  more  intensely  per- 
sonal; it  would  help  us  to  obey  our  Master's  precept  of 
unostentation  in  worship,  'When  thou  prayest,  enter 
into  thy  closet,  and  having  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy 
Father  who  sees  in  secret.'  If  pagan  Rome  had 
domestic  shrines  for  household  gods,  surely  Christian 
America  ought  to  have  domestic  shrines  for  the  one 
God." 


Chapter  hi. 


ITS  RECEPTION 

Against  these  responses  stood  out  the  silence  of 
the  many,  to  whom  the  writer  had  sent  the  article  and 
letter.  AVhat  did  they  think?  Why  did  they  stand 
mute?  He  had  no  way  of  knowing.  It  was  not  what 
he  had  expected.  There  were  no  outpourings  of  praise 
to  Almighty  God,  for  the  great  message.  No  generous 
offers  to  help  from  all  denominations  to  propagate  it 
throughout  the  world;  no  bonfires  were  lighted 
throughout  the  land  to  "wave  the  answer  back  to 
Heaven."    The  world  went  on  as  before. 

In  vain  the  writer  waited  to  hear  from  others; 
waited  patiently  and  hopefully,  shutting  out  of  his 
heart  the  resentment  which  arose  against  the  indiffer- 
ence of  the  "many."  "In  your  patience  possess  ye  your 
souls." — St.  Luke  21:  v.  19.  He  began  to  analyze  his 
presentation  for  defects.  The  spirit  of  hopefulness 
wliicli  had  carried  him  on  became  more  subdued.  Each 
day  he  asked  God  for  g-uidance  and  direction,  but  no 
impelling  influence  stirred  him  to  further  publication 
other  than  by  correspondence  and  discussions  on  the 
subject,  which  were  of  daily  occurrence.  Almost  every 
one  with  whom  he  talked,  took  the  negative  side.  They 
admitted  the  thought  to  be  a  beautiful  idea,  totally  im- 
possible of  perforaiance,  principally  on  account  of 
physical  conditions.  Few,  indeed,  recognized  it  as  an 
obligation  to  Almighty  God,  but  dealt  A\dth  it  strictly 
as  a  physical  proposition  depending  upon  convenience. 
So  usual  was  it  for  his  hearers  to  begin  immediately 
along  these  lines,  that  he  invariably  knew  by  the  ex- 
pression of  the  face  what  was  coming  before  there  was 
a  single  utterance.  Despite  his  dependence  on  Divine 
guidance,  there  were  times  when  he  became  impatient 
and  greatly  troubled  in  spirit,  particularly  on  the  Sab- 

(49) 


50  A  CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 

bath  day,  when  ministers  with  whom  he  had  conversed, 
made  no  allusion  to  the  subject  in  their  sermons.  He 
would  sit  in  church  with  upturned  eyes,  waiting  for 
some  word  to  come  from  the  pulpit ;  but  alas !  it  never 
came. 

And  so  years  rolled  by,  until  1909.  This  year  all 
the  exaltation  which  the  writer  felt  in  1898,  when  the 
message  first  came  to  him,  returned.  The  time  had 
come  to  move  forward.  The  period  of  inactivity  was 
over.  The  world  should  receive  the  message  again, 
this  time  in  book  form,  reinforced  by  the  words  of 
those  who  wiser  than  their  generation,  had  recognized 
its  value  to  humanity. 

The  plans  for  this  book  were  long  prayed  over. 
The  first  decision  of  the  waiter  was  to  publish  it  at  his 
own  expense  for  free  distribution  to  the  world,  which 
happily  he  w^as  able  to  do.  It  was  a  folio  volume  9x12 
inches,  bound  in  black  cloth  and  stamped  across  the 
cover  in  gold,  "A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.''  It  con- 
tained the  original  presentation  of  the  message  and  a 
new  one  addressed:  "To  All  Who  Worship  God,  Ir- 
respective of  Creed  or  Denomination."  In  it  were 
fac-simile  reproductions  of  the  letters  which  have  al- 
ready appeared  in  this  book,  from  the  eleven  Bishops 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States,  two  from  Anglican  Bishops,  and  the  letter  from 
the  Eev.  George  Dana  Boardman. 

On  October  1,  1909,  the  book  commenced  its  jour- 
ney to  Pjurope,  Asia,  Africa,  Australia  and  throughout 
the  United  States  and  Canada,  to  Cardinals,  Arch- 
bishops, Bishops,  prominent  ministers  of  the  leading 
denominations,  college  presidents  and  distinguished 
laymen,  accompanied  by  the  following  letter: 

"Under  separate  cover  there  has  been  mailed 
to  you  a  copy  of  a  booklet  entitled  'A  Chapel  in 
Every  Home.' 

"The  title  really  conveys  the  whole  thought: 
It  is  a  suggestion  that  in  every  home  there  should 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  51 

be  a  place  for  prayer  or  meditation ;  a  family  cen- 
ter for  spiritual  thought,  communion  and  uplift. 

"The  home  and  family  is  the  cornerstone  on 
which  rests  national  life  and  progress.  Is  it  not 
so?  Then  any  effectual  means  of  strengthening 
and  uplifting  home  Life,  of  deepening  the  religious 
and  moral  convictions  and  purity  which  are  the 
very  essence  of  home  life,  must  have  vital  etfect 
upon  the  national  life  of  the  human  family  as  a 
whole, 

"The  writer  believes  that  this  phase  of  the 
thought  that  suggested  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home' 
may  appeal  to  you,  and  asks  that  you  give  the 
booklet  a  perusal  for  the  purpose  of  such  com- 
ment, critical  or  commendatory,  as  your  judgment 
may  dictate. 

"There  is  nothing  commercial  in  the  publica- 
tion. It  has  been  printed  at  the  personal  expense 
of  the  writer,  for  distribution  among  churchmen, 
public  officials  and  publicists,  for  no  other  purpose 
than  as  a  contribution  to  the  general  betterment 
of  humanity." 

The  harvest  from  this  appeal  was  a  bountiful  one. 
Nothing  could  be  more  eloquent  than  the  responses. 
In  1912  a  supplement  to  "A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home" 
was  published,  and  in  1913  another  little  book  entitled 
"An  Appeal  to  All  the  World  for  a  Chapel  in  Every 
Home,"  and  the  responses  from  all  appeals  are  here- 
with given.  They  are  not  simply  endorsements  of  the 
message — they  are  part  of  it,  and  must  be  read  into  its 
woof  and  fibre.  They  present  new,  inspired  and  en- 
riching arguments,  glorifying  God  in  their  earnestness 
and  striking  wonderful  chords  of  harmony  in  this  mes- 
sage that  shall  ultimately  bring  to  every  home  a  bene- 
diction, which  in  the  words  of  Bishop  Spellmeyer  will 
"soon  bring  the  world  to  Christ,  and  Christ  l)aek  to 
the  world." 

Ordinarily  the  endorsements  of  a  book  follow  its 
publication.     "A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home"  is  not  a 


52  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVEKY   HOME 

book,  however,  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word.  It 
is  a  movement  that  has  been  going  on  for  twenty-four 
years,  and  the  opinions  received  in  that  time  are  not 
on  its  literary  merit,  or  on  the  personal  presentation  of 
the  views  of  the  writer  of  this  book,  but  on  the  value 
of  the  thought  which  he  presents.  The  five  words  ex- 
press it  in  its  entirety — "a  chapel  in  every  home." 


A   CHAPEL   IN    EVERY   HOME  53 


HOW  THE  WORLD  RECEIVED  THE  MESSAGE. 

The  vision  of  the  millennium  itself  seems  to  glow 
in  the  prophecies  of  what  the  realization  of  "A  Chapel 
in  Fiveiy  Home"  means  to  those  who  have  written  on 
the  subject.  Anglican,  Baptist,  Catholic,  Christian, 
Congregationalist,  Episcopalian,  Hebrew,  Lutheran, 
Methodist,  Presbyterian,  Salvationist,  college  presi- 
dent, lawj-er  and  captains  of  industrj^  Their  views  fol- 
low: 

His  Eminence  Cardinal  0  'Council,  Boston,  Mass. : 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  stand  for  the 
principle  which  you  assert ;  that  is,  family  prayer  and 
the  sacredness  of  the  home.  Those  who  can  put  aside 
a  small  room  as  an  oratoiy  would  soon  realize  in  its 
possession  what  they  have  missed  without  it.  I  hope 
that  the  movement  you  are  setting  on  foot  will  bring 
good  results." 

His  Eminence  Cardinal  Falconio,  Washington,  D. 
C,  Apostolic  Delegate  to  the  United  States : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Your  project  has 
my  warmest  sympathy.  Indeed  there  was  a  time  when, 
I  believe,  there  was  not  a  single  Christian  family 
which  did  not  have  either  a  regular  Chapel  or  a  Cross 
— the  sign  of  our  Redemption — or  a  Sacred  Image  in 
some  part  of  the  house,  apt  to  elevate  the  mind  to  the 
contemplation  of  God  and  His  Di\ane  Attributes,  and 
to  excite  the  heart  to  sentiments  of  love  and  veneration 
for  God's  boundless  goodness  and  His  Holy  Laws. 
This  pious  custom  is  general  even  now  amongst  our 
Catholic  people.  Almost  general  also  is  the  pious 
practice  of  Catholic  families  to  kneel  down  in  prayer 
either  in  common  or  separately  at  night  before  going 
to  rest,  ^lay  God  grant  that  this  religious  practice 
may  continue  and  become  universal  in  every  Christian 
family  not  only  for  the  welfare  of  the  home  but  also 
of  the  Nation  of  which  the  familv  is  the  natural  basis." 


54 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 


His  Eminence  James  Cardinal  Gibbons,  Arch- 
bishop of  Baltimore,  Md. : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home.'  The  Catholic 
Church  has  always  recommended  most  strongly  the 
beautiful  practice  of  family  prayer  in  common  as  one 
of  the  best  means  for  the  preservation  of  religion  and 
purity  in  the  home,  and  the  faithful  are  always  ex- 
horted to  have  in  their  home  a  little  oratory  around 
which  the  family  could  gather  to  offer  up  their  prayers 
to  God." 

The  Most  Eev,  WilUam  Alexander,  Archbishop, 
Primate  of  all  Ireland  and  Metropolitan : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home,'  I  think  that  a  special 
place  for  prayer  and  meditation  is  a  great  help  in 
the  spiritual  life,  a  center  for  religious  and  moral 
strength  and  uplift  in  the  home," 

The  Most  Eev.  Walter  John  Forbes  Eobberds, 
Archbishop  and  Prunus  of  all  Scotland: 

''I  can  only  say  from  personal  experience  that  it 
is  a  real  help  to  the  religious  life  of  the  family  and  to 
one's  o"\vn,  to  have  an  oratory  or  chapel  in  one's  home." 

The  Most  Eev.  John  Baptist  Crozier,  Archbishop, 
Primate  of  all  Ireland  and  Metropolitan.  Transferred 
1911  from  the  Bishopric  of  Down,  Connor  and  Drom- 
ore,  as  successor  to  the  late  Most  Eev.  William  Alex- 
ander, D.  D. : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  reached  me  at  a  time 
when  I  was  greatly  regretting  the  absence  of  a  Private 
Chapel  at  the  See  House — CuUoden.  Your  letter  was 
the  deciding  weight  in  the  scales  and  I  hope,  please 
God,  to  dedicate  a  private  chapel  for  all  time,  wliich  we 
have  built  at  a  cost  of  £300,  generously  provided  for  me 
and  my  successors  in  this  Bishopric." 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  55 

The  Most  Rev.  Samuel  Pritchard  Matheson,  Arch- 
bishop of  Rupert's  Land,  Primate  of  all  Canada: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home,*  T  have  read  it  with 
deep  interest  and  after  doin*;  so  I  feel  that  you  are 
conferring  a  great  benefit  on  the  Christian  world  by 
its  publication.  To  indicate  to  you  what  is  my  o\m 
conviction  on  the  question  I  venture  simply  to  say  this : 
In  a  recent  visit  to  Eastern  Canada  I  was  asked  to  ad- 
dress a  mass  meeting  in  connection  with  a  conference 
for  the  deepening  of  spiritual  life.  I  took  as  my  theme 
what  I  considered  to  be  '  the  weak  spot '  in  our  modern 
Christian  life  and  effort,  and  I  had  no  hesitation  in 
putting  down  as  the  weak  spot  ^the  want  of  religion  in 
the  Home  life. '  Religion  in  our  day  is  transferred  too 
much  away  from  and  not  to  the  home.  The  sacred 
prerogative  of  father  and  mother  in  the  training  of  the 
family  is  being  abrogated  and  relegated  to  persons 
outside  the  home.  The  consequence  is,  that  notwith- 
standing all  the  richness  of  modern  Christian  effort, 
notwithstanding  the  manifold  activities  of  all  the 
Churches,  results  are  not  encouraging  and  are  certainly 
not  commensurate  with  the  efforts  put  forth.  The  weak- 
ness is,  I  believe,  to  be  found  at  the  springs  from  which 
the  units  which  make  up  our  communities  flow,  viz., 
the  homes.  Your  endeavor  is  to  improve  conditions. 
In  this  respect,  to  make  'Bethels  in  our  Christian 
homes.'  May  God  bless  this  endeavor  and  croA\ni  it 
with  the  success  it  so  richly  desen^es." 


The  Most  Rev.  Reginald  Stephen  Copleston, 
Primate  and  Metropolitan  of  India  and  Ceylon: 

''  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  is  a  valuable  sug- 
gestion, and  well  put,  and  I  hope  by  God's  blessings  it 
will  help  many." 

The  Most  Rev.  Enos  Nuttall,  Archbishop  and 
Primate  of  West  Indies: 

*'  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'    I  have  endeavored 


56  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 

in  various  ways  to  bring  the  suggestion  to  the  notice 
of  our  Church  people  here,  and  I  hope  that  these  ef- 
forts will,  at  least  in  some  cases,  have  a  satisfactory 
result.*^ 


The  Most  Rev.  St.  Clair  George  Alfred  Donaldson, 
Archbishop  of  Brisbin  and  Metropolitan  of  Queens- 
land, Australia : 

' '  I  am  a  great  believer  in  the  practice  of  separat- 
ing a  room  in  our  private  houses  for  the  purpose  of 
prayer  and  meditation.  I  am  sure  it  makes  for  a 
deeper  spiritual  life  and  for  that  which  is  so  difficult 
to  maintain  in  these  busy  days." 

The  Most  Rev.  John  Ireland,  Archbishop  of  St. 
Paul: 

' '  The  idea  of  a  chapel  in  every  home  is  beautiful — 
most  Christian-like  and  worthy  of  the  earnest  atten 
tion  of  all  those  who  have  at  heart  the  Christian  life 
of  the  home.  I  have  shown  your  booklet  to  several 
clergymen  and  they  are  all  enchanted  mth  it.  As  oc 
casion  may  offer  I  shall  strive  to  recommend  effectively 
the  idea  of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  hope  that  it 
will  find  many  faithful  adherents." 

The  Most  Rev.  William  Oldfield  Burrows,  Arch- 
bishop of  Capetown  and  Metropolitan  of  South  Africa : 

"I  am  desired  by  the  Archbishop  of  Capetown  to 
acknowledge  receipt  of  your  book  'A  Chapel  in  Every 
Home,'  to  convey  to  you  his  sense  of  the  value  of  the 
suggestion  you  advocate." 

The  Most  Rev.  James  Edward  Quigley,  Arch- 
bishop of  Chicago : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'    Needless  to  say,  I 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME  57 

am  witli  you,  heart  and  soul,  in  this  very  excellent  mis- 
sion which  you  have  taken  upon  yourself,  and  I  will 
do  all  1  can  to  encourage  amongst  our  people,  rich  and 
poor,  the  revival  of  this  ancient  Catholic  custom." 


The  Most  Rev.  John  J.  Keane,  Archbishop  of 
Dubuque : 

''May  God  prosper  your  endeavor  that  there  be  a 
little  sanctuary  of  prayer  in  every  home.  And  may 
the  spirit  of  prayer,  thus  fostered  in  all  hearts,  draw 
all  souls  closer  to  Jesus  our  Saviour  and  to  our  Father 
in  Heaven." 


General  William  Booth,  Founder  and  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  the  Salvation  Army,  by  Colonel  Theodore 
Kitchens,  International  Headquarters,  The  Salvation 
Army,  London,  Eng. : 

"General  Booth  desires  me  to  acknowledge  his  re- 
ceipt of  your  letter,  together  with  booklet  'A  Chapel 
in  Every  Home,'  accompanj-ing  same.  He  is  fully 
alive  to  the  importance  of  the  suggestion  therein  made, 
indeed,  it  has  his  warm  approval." 

Ballington  Booth,  President  of  the  Volunteers  of 
America : 

"Permit  me  to  add  the  testimony  of  my  unfeigiied 
faith  in  the  power  and  influence  of  a  Chapel  in  the 
home.  For  years  I  have  been  a  strong  advocate  and 
a  tenacious  supporter  of  some  chamber,  however  small, 
in  which  we  can  meet  and  receive  the  benediction  of 
God  and  the  inspiration  of  the  Christ-spirit.  The 
library  is  all  right  for  the  mind  but  we  need  a  sanctum 
for  the  heart.  'The  Chapel  in  the  Home'  will  cultivate 
lieartology,  and  that  is  more  needed  and  momentous 
than  brainology." 


58  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 


BISHOPS  OF  THE  PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  Right  Rev.  William  Andrew  Leonard,  Bishop 
of  Ohio : 

*'  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Llome.'  The  idea  involved, 
and  the  practical  obligation  of  the  same,  is  something- 
very  impressive,  and  ought  to  result  in  what  your 
earnest  soul  desires,  and  I  sincerely  trust  that  this 
endeavor  mil  be  blest  of  the  Heaveiily  Father." 

The  Right  Rev.  Ethelbeii;  Talbot,  Bishop  of 
Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  is  a  most  worthy 
contribution  to  the  spiritual  uplift  of  the  Nation. ' ' 

The  Right  Rev.  Lewis  William  Burton,  Bishop  of 
Lexington,  Kentucky: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home.'  The  idea  is  ade- 
quately presented.  I  have  long  mshed  for  something 
that  might  pass  as  a  chapel  in  the  Episcopal  Residence. 
I  feel  the  need  of  it  more,  now  that  my  children  have 
grown  up.  The  ordinary  living  rooms  of  the  house 
are  associated  mth  social  pleasures  and  suggest  or- 
dinarily no  sacred  association.  You  give  us  an  ideal  to 
cherish,  viz.,  the  possession  of  some  place  or  spot 
sacred  and  associated  with  family  and  personal  devo 
tions  and  a  trysting  place  with  the  Lord.  I  agree  that 
family  prayers  are  somewhat  disused  for  lack  of  it; 
and  perhaps  the  lack  of  it  has  made  it  easier  for  many 
families  to  give  up  home.  Home  has  not  meant  much 
to  them;  and  therefore  they  are  ready  to  try  to  find 
a  substitute  for  it  in  the  apartment  house,  in  the  hotel 
or  in  the  boarding-house.  I  earnestly  pray  that  God 
may  bless  this  effort  for  the  promotion  of  household 
religion  and  the  preservation  of  the  highest  types  of 
Anglo-Saxon  home  life." 

The  Right  Rev.  Frederic  William  Keator,  Bishop 
of  Olympia: 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  59 

'*  *A  Chapel  in  every  Home.'  Surely,  "tis  a  con- 
summation devoutly  to  be  wished,'  as  a  source  of 
power  and  uplift,  as  a  center  of  rest  and  comfort  which 
in  these  busy  days  of  restless  living  are  so  lacking. 

"I  pray  that  God's  blessing  may  rest  upon  this 
effort  to  the  end  that  He  may  be  better  knowTi  and 
more  truly  sei*\'ed  everj^where. " 

The  Right  Rev.  Charles  Scadding,  Bishop  of  Ore 
gon: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Truly  it  is  'a  con- 
summation devoutly  to  be  wished'  that  in  every 
Christian  home  there  might  be  some  quiet,  retired 
place  for  family  prayer,  and  individual  intercession 
and  meditation;  and  I  heartily  commend  your  earnest 
efforts  to  bring  this  about.  In  the  plan  for  a  Bishop's 
house  which  I  hope  soon  to  build  there  is  a  place  for 
an  Oratory  where  the  daily  offices  can  be  said,  and  for 
special  Episcopal  acts  as  occasion  may  require,  but 
for  the  present  a  comer  of  my  study  has  to  sen-e,  and 
has  become  a  veritable  sanctuar\\ 

"Praying  that  Cod  may  abundantlv  bless  this  pro- 
ject." 

The  Right  Rev.  Nathaniel  Sej-mour  Thomas, 
Bishop  of  Wyoming : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Everj^  Home.'  I  know  no  more 
natural  expression  of  the  worldUness  of  this  day  and 
generation  than  the  seeming  abandonment  of  the  pious 
habit  and  goodly  practice  of  family  prayers.  I  would 
to  God  that  your  efforts  might  serve  to  help  restore 
this  ancient  and  Christian  habit  in  every  home." 

The  Right  Rev.  Cortlandt  Whitehead,  Bishop  of 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania : 

''Your  sentiments  about  a  place  of  prayer  in  every 
home  are  shared  by  very  many  more  Christian  people 
than  find  it  practicable  to  carry  their  wishes  into  ef- 
fect. For  myself,  in  common  ^vith  many,  if  not  all 
Bishops,  I  have  and  have  always  had  an  Oratory  in  my 


60  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 

house  for  family  prayers  and  occasional  family  Com- 
munion Service.  It  is  worth  considering  by  Christian 
people  that  in  the  majority  of  professedly  Christian 
homes  there  is  absolutely  no  sign  of  our  holy  religion 
visible,  while  in  a  heathen  country,  every  house  has  its 
shrine,  and  its  household  devotions," 

The  Right  Rev.  Chauncey  B.  Brewster,  Bishop  of 
Connecticut : 

'^Certainly  it  would  be  a  pleasure  if  there  might 
be  a  place  in  every  house,  however  small,  which  should 
be  a  sacred  shrine.  It  would  hallow  the  whole  house 
and  be  a  means  toward  consecrating  the  lives  of  those 
who  went  in  and  out." 


The  Right  Rev.  Alexander  Hamilton  Vinton, 
Bishop  of  Western  Massachusetts : 

"What  you  say  about  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home' 
engages  my  sympathetic  interest.  My  o^\^l  oratoiy  at 
Bishop's  House  is  indispensable  and  a  place  where  un- 
ceasing comfort  can  be  found.  I  wish,  indeed,  that 
there  might  be  a  fulfillment  of  your  aspiration  in  every 
household  of  the  land. ' ' 

The  Right  Rev.  G.  Mott  Williams,  Bishop  of  Mar- 
quette, Mich.: 

"I  have  long  preached  the  oratory  as  one  of  the 
best  means  to  spread  the  Church.  Our  scattered 
church  families  could  often  win  many  people  to  our 
worship  by  maintaining  that  worship  with  suitable  sur- 
roundings at  home.  I  am  very  much  pleased  with  'A 
Chapel  in  Every  Home,'  grateful  for  it." 

The  Right  Rev.  Thomas  F.  Gailor,  Bishop  of  Ten- 
nessee and  President  of  the  Executive  Council  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States : 

''I  quite  agree  with  you  that  the  life  of  the  nation 
ultimately  depends  upon  the  life  of  the  Family,  and 
that  therefore  the  devotional  spirit  of  the  Home  will  be 


A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  61 

reflected  in  the  order  and  institutions  of  Government. 
Hoping  that  this  appeal  will  meet  with  w^ide  response." 

The  Right  R«v.  Frederick  Roger  Graves,  Bishop 
of  Shanghai,  China: 

"I  wish  that  we  could  do  more  to  bring  about  a 
better  state  of  things  in  this  regard  here  in  China.  In 
Cliinese  homes  all  life  is  lived  in  public,  and  both  the 
place  and  the  opportunity  for  private  prayer  and 
family  worship  are  too  often  lacking.  We  do  all  we 
can  to  promote  religion  in  the  family,  and  have  done 
something  to  induce  our  people  to  move  on  the  lines 
indicated  in  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  " 

The  Right  Rev.  James  Steptoe  Johnson,  Bishop 
of  West  Texas : 

''  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  idea  is  a 
beautiful  one,  and  I  wish  it  could  be  largely  acted  on; 
nothing  is  more  needed  in  our  times  than  the  revival 
of  family  religion,  for  it  is  the  only  true  foundation 
of  a  religion  of  power." 

The  Right  Rev.  F.  B.  Howden,  Bishop  of  New 
Mexico : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Anything  that  can 
bring  to  our  people  a  forcible  suggestion  for  promot- 
ing religious  life  in  our  homes  must  be  welcomed  by 
thoughtful  and  earnest  men,  and  I  am  not  surprised 
at  the  commendations  your  book  has  received  from  so 
many  of  the  greatest  leaders  in  this  and  other  coun- 
tries. From  a  patriotic  as  well  as  a  religious  view^- 
point  the  establishing  of  a  family  Shrme  or  altar  is 
obx-iously  of  great  importance,  for  on  the  character  of 
our  homes  must  depend  the  character  of  our  countiy. 
Wliat  you  are  contending  for  is  of  course  more  of  a 
restoration  than  an  innovation,  because  the  home 
*  chapel'  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  traditions  of  the 
human  race,  more  ancient  in  fact  than  the  church  or 
the  temple.  Would  that  we  Americans  might  lay  hold 
of  it  in  some  such  way  as  you  advocate.  Ever  since  I 
obtained  a  'Bishop's  House'  I  have  been  plaiming  a 


62  A  CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 

chapel  of  this  kind  and  have  been  conscious  of  the  need 
of  it.  Needless  to  say  your  book  has  served  to  whet 
my  desire  for  the  achievement  of  my  purpose.  I  con- 
gTatulate  you  on  your  perseverance  in  your  project  and 
earnestly  hope  that  your  effort  will  bring  forth  results. 
'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home/  it  is  certainly  an  inspiring 
ideal.  How  w^onderful  it  will  be,  if,  under  God,  the 
ideal  can  some  day  be  realized." 


The  Eight  Rev.  C.  P.  Anderson,  Bishop  of 
Chicago : 

''  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  It  is  a  genuine 
pleasure  to  know  that  such  a  book  has  been  put  forth. '^ 

The  Right  Rev.  Henry  B.  Restarick,  Bishop  of 
Honolulu,  T.  H. : 

'^  'A  Chapel  in  Ever^^  Home.'  I  believe  that  what 
this  Nation  wants  above  everything  is  Home  religion. 
Modern  life  throws  great  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
gathering  the  family  together  for  prayer,  but  I  cer- 
tainly think  that  if  there  was  a  Chapel  in  Every  Home 
that  there  would  be  an  immense  advance  on  the  right 
Une." 

The  Right  Rev.  M.  Edward  Fawcett,  Bishop  of 
Quincy,  Illinois : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Permit  me  to  say 
how  much  I  wish  that  the  idea  could  be  carried  into 
effect.  It  has  long  seemed  very  desirable  to  me  for 
every  Christian  to  have  certain  times  and  a  certain 
place  for  daily  prayer.  Your  plea,  that  the  place  could 
be  a  chapel  properly  arranged  in  the  homes,  is  cer- 
tainly true.  I  have  found  that  the  most  practical  ad- 
vice I  could  give  to  those  presented  for  Confirmation 
has  been  in  harmony  with  the  idea  of  your  booklet.  A 
certain  place,  and  if  possible  a  prepared  place,  for 
prayer,  helps  the  soul  to  prepare  for  that  place  our 
Lord  prepares  for  us." 


A  CHAPEL  IN   f:VERy  HOME  63 

The  Right  Rev.  Frederick  Burgess,  Bishop  of 
Long  Island: 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  find  myself  in 
full  accord  with  your  ideas  on  the  subject  and  wish  it 
were  practicable  to  have  them  carried  out." 


The  Right  Rev.  Reginald  H.  Weller,  Bishop  of 
Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  read  it  through 
when  I  untied  the  package  and  before  I  read  my  let- 
ters. May  it  aid,  with  God's  blessings,  in  bringing  a 
Chapel  to  every  home,  at  least  every  Christian  home, 
and  may  you  see  some  of  the  results  here  and  here- 
after." 


The  Right  Rev.  Joseph  M.  Francis,  Bishop  of 
Indianapolis : 

''I  have  no  shadow  of  doubt  that  a  place  set  apart 
in  every  home  as  the  place  for  prayer,  and  reserved 
for  this  purpose  alone,  would  bring  an  untold  blessing 
to  the  homes  of  our  land.  Just  as  the  open  church 
draws  many  into  it  day  by  day  for  prayer  and  quiet 
meditation,  so  would  this  sacred  spot  in  the  home  draw 
the  members  of  the  family  and  do  much  to  restore  the 
lost  custom  of  Family  Prayers.  The  thought  is  an  ad- 
mirable and  helpful  one. ' ' 


The  Right  Rev.  AVilliam  Crane  Gray,  Bishop  of 
Southern  Florida: 

''Most  earnestly  do  I  pray  for  a  rapidly  increas- 
ing restoration  of  the  custom  of  'Family  Prayers.^  I 
was  very  much  impressed  during  botli  of  my  visits  to 
England  by  the  general  custom  which  I  found  there  of 
the  head  of  every  family  being  priest  in  his  ouni  house- 
hold and  regularly  conducting  Family  Prayer.  If  this 
movement  for  *A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Ilome'  can  arouse 
people  generally  to  the  importance  of  this  duty  we  shall 
certainlv  have  reason  to  thank  God  for  such  a  result." 


64  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME 

The  Right  Eev.  J.  M.  Kendrick,  Bishop  of  Ari- 
zona: 

"Anything-  that  will  encourage  Family  Worship 
is  valuable.  If  you  consider  my  opinion  as  valuable  at 
all,  it  is  expressed  very  heartily  and  very  strongly  in 
favor  of  this  movement. ' ' 

The  Right  Rev.  Joseph  H.  Johnson,  Bishop  of  Los 
Angeles,  California: 

"I  am  quite  sure  that  you  are  correct  about  the 
importance  of  a  Chapel  in  every  home,  for  when  I 
built  my  present  house  (now  about  eleven  years  ago) 
much  thought  was  given  to  the  chapel  which  has  been 
a  center  of  influence  in  many  ways  ever  since.  In  it 
we  have  our  daily  family  prayer;  very  frequently  at 
its  altar  is  the  Holy  Communion  celebrated;  confirma- 
tions and  marriages  have  been  solemnized.  I  know 
the  value  and  importance  therefore  of  the  effort  which 
you  are  making." 

The  Right  Eev.  Edward  R.  Atwill,  Bishop  of  West 
Missouri : 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  suggestion  ap- 
peals to  me.  I  am  sure  that  a  room  in  the  house  con- 
secrated to  the  worship  of  Almighty  God  would  sanc- 
tify the  family  and  their  dwelling  place.  We  hear 
much  nowadays  of  suggestion.  Undoubtedly  the  ora- 
tory would  silently  suggest  prayer  and  praise,  and 
many  who  now  neglect  these  privileges  would  be  re- 
minded of  them." 

The  Right  Rev.  William  Neilson  McVickar,  Bishop 
of  Rhode  Island : 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  It  would  be  in- 
deed an  inestimable  addition  to  any  house  and  its 
family  life  to  have  a  chapel  of  its  own  for  family  and 
personal  worship." 

The  Right  Rev.  Ozi  William  Whitaker,  Bishop  of 
Pennsylvania : 


A   CHAPEL,  IN    EVERY  HOME  65 

"It  has  never  been  my  experience  to  have  a 
Chapel  in  my  own  house  or  to  have  a  room  set  apart  as 
a  special  place  of  prayer,  but  I  have  several  times 
made  visits  to  houses  in  which  there  are  such  a  separate 
place  and  in  every  instance  1  have  been  impressed  ^vith 
a  sense  of  propriety  and  benefit  of  such  a  holy  place 
in  every  home.  As  I  look  back  over  my  life  1  feel  that 
if  I  had  begun  with  such  a  resen'ation  of  some  por- 
tion of  my  residence  it  would  have  had  a  good  influence 
upon  me  and  on  the  members  of  my  family, '  * 

The  Right  Rev.  Charles  C.  Grafton,  Bishop  of 
Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin: 

"I  hope  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  vdW  increase 
this  setting  apart  in  houses  of  places  for  private  and 
family  prayer." 

The  Right  Rev.  Arthur  L.  Williams,  Bishop  of 
Nebraska: 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  emphasizes  a  sug- 
gestion which  I  have  mentioned  many  times  in  my 
office  and  work  as  a  Bishop,  and  points  the  way  to  a 
restoration  of  that  almost  forgotten  duty  and  privilege, 
family  worship." 

The  Right  Rev.  Richard  Henry  Nelson,  Bishop 
Coadjutor  of  Albany : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  appreciate  the 
purpose  which  is  obvious  in  your  preparation  of  this, 
and  consider  that  it  is  most  timely. ' ' 

The  Right  Rev.  Robert  L.  Paddock,  Bishop  of 
Eastern  Oregon : 

''The  suggestion  that  in  every  home  there  should 
be  a  place  for  prayer  and  meditation,  a  family  center 
for  spiritual  thought,  communion  and  uplift,  is  excel- 
lent; it  would  make  us  more  loyal  and  loving  in  the 
family,  it  would  increase  the  attendance  and  spiritual 
atmosphere  in  our  churches;  it  would  help  to  bind  to- 


66  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME 

getlier  the  whole  world  as  children  of  one  Father,  and 
would  inspire  us  to  make  them  conscientious  members 
of  one  family  in  Christ.  Then  there  would  be  no  more 
selfishness,  no  more  sin;  hatred  and  hostilities  would 
cease.  We  would  love  God  and  love  our  neighbor  also 
and  the  heavenly  life  would  begin.  May  God  show 
each  one  of  us  how  we  may  hasten  this  day,  and  give 
us  the  Avill  and  the  power  to  make  our  dreams  real." 


The  Right  Rev.  Henry  D.  Robinson,  Bishop  of 
Nevada : 

' '  The  idea  of  '  A  Chapel  in  Every  Home '  is  a  good 
one.  It  would  count  much  for  humanity  if  it  should 
be  put  into  practice." 

The  Right  Rev.  James  Heartt  Van  Buren,  Bishoi> 
of  Porto  Rico : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  idea  is  ex- 
cellent. ' ' 

The  Right  Rev.  Ed\\dn  Gardner  Weed,  Bishop  of 
Florida : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Certainly  the  great 
want  in  this  day  is  religion  in  the  household.  There 
was  a  time  when  family  prayers  were  usual ;  now  they 
have  become  unusual.  I  believe  the  book  is  calculated 
to  do  a  great  deal  of  good." 

The  Right  Rev.  Davis  Sessums,  Bishop  of  Louis- 
iana : 

''Surely,  wherever  a  Chapel  can  be  arranged  in 
the  home  it  would  be  a  very  real  spiritual  help  to  the 
family — calling  to  prayer  and  bringing  a  beautiful  in- 
fluence for  good." 

The  Right  Rev.  Cleland  K.  Nelson,  Bishop  of  At- 
lanta : 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  67 

"The  force  which  is  most  needed  to  bring  back 
our  people  to  their  allegiance  and  to  keep  the  children 
in  the  paths  of  truth  and  virtue  is  the  family  altar.  To 
make  this  concrete  is  a  great  step  toward  estabUshing 
and  confirming  family  worship.  Your  position  is  well 
reinforced  by  the  wise  words  of  some  of  our  Most 
Reverend  Fathers." 


The  Right  Rev.  John  McKim,  Bishop  of  Tokyo, 
Japan: 

**If  every  home  were  a  House  of  Prayer  many  of 
the  problems  would  be  solved  that  trouble  society  and 
the  nations.  If  a  man  in  his  daily  home  life  does  his 
duty  to  God,  he  will  find  it  much  easier  to  do  his  duty 
tow^ard  his  neighbor. ' ' 

The  Right  Rev.  Junius  M.  Horner,  Bishop  of  Ashe- 
viUe,  N.  C. : 

''The  suggestion  is  timely  and  will  do  much  good." 

The  Right  Rev.  James  B.  Funsten,  Bishop  of 
Idaho : 

"Undoubtedly  it  is  a  most  important  thing  to  do 
all  in  our  power  to  kindle  the  fire  of  religion  on  the 
altar  of  the  homes  of  our  American  people,  else  Chris- 
tianity itself  will  lose  its  hold  upon  our  Nation." 

The  Right  Rev.  Charles  Heniy  Brent,  Bishop  of 
the  Philippine  Islands : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home'  commends  itself  to 
one  who  for  upwards  of  twenty  years  has  never  been 
without  an  oratoiy  in  his  home.  I  wish  indeed  we 
could  arouse  the  heads  of  families  in  our  country  to  a 
realization  of  their  dignity  as  priests  of  their  respec- 
tive households.  When  worship  in  the  home  is  once 
again  restored  the  churches  will  not  stand  in  need  of 
worshippers." 


68  A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

The  Right  Rev.  Rogers  Israel,  Bishop  of  Erie, 
Pennsylvania : 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  May  I  not  wish  you 
God-speed  in  the  great  work  you  have  undertaken,  and 
assure  you  of  my  hearty  co-operation." 

The  Right  Rev.  William  Hall  Moreland,  Bishop  of 
Sacramento,  California : 

''The  subject  of  a  Chapel  in  Every  Home  appeals 
to  me  powerfully.  I  feel  the  need  of  a  sacred  corner 
or  niche  in  the  homes  of  us  all.  Write  me  again,  count 
mo  as  a  true  ally  and  co-worker." 

The  Right  Rev.  Phillip  M.  Rhinelander,  Bishop  of 
Pennsylvania : 

' '  I  feel  very  deeply  with  you  that  the  nation  rests 
on  the  home,  and  the  home  rests  on  home  religion.  I 
also  recognize  the  force  of  the  idea  that  a  chapel  in 
every  home  would  go  a  long  way  towards  preserving 
the  ideal  of  family  religion  as  well  as  the  practice  of 
it." 

The  Right  Rev.  Alfred  Harding,  Bishop  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  suggestion 
conveyed  by  the  title  and  the  reinforcement  of  it  by 
the  weighty  letters  of  the  prominent  Bishops,  makes  it 
indeed  a  valuable  Tractate.  I  am  quite  sure  that  there 
could  be  nothing  better  for  family  life  and  for  the 
Church  than  family  religion  at  the  family  altar." 


The  Right  Rev.  J.  Frederick  Kinsman,  Bishop  of 
Delaware : 

"Thank  you  for  the  copy  of  'A  Chapel  in  Every 
Home,'  mth  the  theme  of  which  I  am  in  entire  sym- 
pathy. I  notice  that  in  the  letter  sent  you  by  Bishop 
Coleman  he  speaks  of  the  Chapel  of  the  Good  Shepherd 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME  69 

in  his  house.  I  caii  add  my  o^\Tl  testimony  to  the 
value  of  it  not  only  for  use  but  also  as  a  reminder  and 
silent  \vitness." 


The  Right  Rev.  Frederick  P.  Reese,  Bishop  of 
Georgia : 

**  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  have  read  it  with 
much  interest  and  tnist  that  it  may  be  effective  in 
promoting  a  revival  of  the  practice  of  family  worship. 
I  am  sure  that  a  decline  in  this  practice  is  a  very 
serious  hindrance  to  religion  and  I  think  that  every 
earnest  Christian  should  labor  and  pray  for  this  re- 
vival." 

The  Right  Rev.  Charles  Tyler  Olmsted,  Bishop  of 
Central  New  York : 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.^  In  these  days 
when  so  many  *  Family  Altars'  seem  to  have  fallen 
do^\^^,  and  the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise  is  not  heard 
in  such  households,  it  is  certainly  well  to  remind 
peoi)le  of  the  duty  which  they  neglect  and  of  the 
privilege  which  they  lose.  I  have  an  'oratory'  in  my 
own  home,  and  have  often  remarked  that  since  we  have 
separate  rooms  for  eating,  and  talking,  and  sleeping, 
it  is  certainly  quite  as  important  to  have,  where  it  is 
possible,  a  room  also  for  praying.    Why  not? " 

The  Right  Rev.  William  Montgomery  Bro^vn, 
Bishop  of  Arkansas : 

''With  every  good  wash  for  'A  Chapel  in  Every 
Home.'  " 

The  Right  Rev.  Theodore  Du  Bose  Bratton,  Bishop 
of  Mississippi: 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Ever\^  Home.'  The  theme  is  per- 
tinent, and  it  is  presented  in  a  very  striking  way.  It 
will  help  me  in  presenting  the  subject  as  I  am  con- 
stantly doing." 


70  A   CHAPEL   IN    EVERY   HOME 

The  Right  Rev.  John  N.  MoCormick,  Bishop  of 
Western  Michigan : 

''Such  a  movement  as  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home' 
is  certainly  much  needed  and  such  results  as  those 
suggested  are  much  to  be  desired." 

The  Right  Rev.  Cameron  Mann,  Bishop  of  North 
Dakota: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Of  course  it 
presents  an  ideal  which  in  many,  perhaps  most  cases, 
would  not  be  realized.  But  that  is  the  case  with  all 
novel  ideas.  A  Chapel  room  in  a  house  cannot  by 
itself  create  worship  there.  But  it  does  suggest  and 
invite  to  worship.  And  I  can  believe  that  if  each  de- 
cent tenement  had  its  little  chapel  the  tenants  would 
treat  the  building  more  carefully  and  pay  the  rent 
more  promptly ;  also  that  the  landlord  would  treat  his 
tenants  more  generously." 

The  Right  Rev.  William  Lawrence,  Bishop  of 
Massachusetts : 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Such  publications 
toward  development  of  the  religion  in  the  family  life 
must  be  helpful,  especially  in  these  days,  when  the 
pressure  of  other  interests  is  so  heavy." 

The  Right  Rev.  George  W.  Peterkin,  Bishop  of 
West  Virginia : 

"The  subject  of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  is  cer- 
tainly very  attractive. ' ' 

The  Right  Rev.  Sidney  C.  Partridge,  Bishop  of 
Kyoto,  Japan: 

"I  beg  to  say  that  I  am  most  heartily  in  favor  of 
*  A  Chapel  in  Everv^  Home'  as  I  understand  it  and  have 
for  years  tried  to  bring  my  people  up  to  the  ideal  laid 
down  by  Canon  Liddon  on  this  subject.  T  have  not 
only  always  had  a  Chapel  in  my  own  home,  but  in  both 


A   CHAPEL   IN    EVERY   HOME  71 

China  ajid  Japan  Ikave  tried  to  educate  my  people  up 
to  the  same  standard.  I  may  say  that  it  is  really 
much  easier  to  do  this  with  the  Oriental  people,  with 
whom  the  idea  of  the  'Household  Shrines'  is  such  a 
strong  one,  than  it  is  with  many  of  our  Western  lands 
who  seem  to  have  drifted  away  from  the  conception 
almost  entirelv." 


The  Right  Rev.  William  Paret,  Bishop  of  Mary- 
land : 

"I  am  greatly  pleased  with  'A  Chapel  in  Every 
Home'  and  sincerely  hope  it  will  have  excellent  effect." 

The  Right  Rev.  Nathaniel  L.  Thomas,  Bishop  of 
Wyoming : 

(Second  letter.) 

*'I  have,  in  mj^  house,  now  built  in  my  study,  a 
little  chapel  which  is  consecrated  wholly  to  the  purpose 
of  worship.  This  is  not  a  separate  room,  as  I  could 
not  spare  the  space,  but  it  is  shut  off  from  the  room 
by  a  curtain.  May  God  grant  that  your  labors  in  this 
propaganda  which  you  have  undertaken  may  be  uni- 
versally used." 


ENDORSEMENT  BY  HOUSE  OF  BISHOPS. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States. 

The  General  Convention,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  1916. 

The  Right  Rev.  Daniel  S.  Tuttle,  Presiding  Bishop : 

'*No  better  help  to  the  Christian  cause  can  come 
than  the  emphasizing  of  the  value  of  home  religion  and 
worship.  I  shall  take  pleasure  in  presenting  to  the 
House  of  Bishops  vour  petition  for  'A  Chapel  in  Every 
Home.'  " 

The  Right  Rev.  Wm.  Hall  Moreland,  Bishop  of 
Sacramento,   California,  and   Chairman  of  the  Joint 


72  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

Commission  on  Home  and  Family  Life,  General  Con 
vention,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  October  23,  1916 : 

''The  General  Convention  has  received  with  pro- 
found sympathy  and  approval  your  proposal  with  ref- 
erence to  a  Chapel  in  Every  Home.  It  was  referred  to 
the  Committee  on  Memorials,  which  reported  it  to  the 
House  of  Bishops  with,  unanimous  commendation.  It 
was  also  commended  to  the  attention  of  the  Committee 
on  the  Pastoral  Letter. 

*'A  further  Joint  Commission  on  Home  and 
Family  Life  has  been  created,  consisting  of  five 
bishops,  five  presbyters  and  five  laymen.  Of  this  Com- 
mission the  undersigned  is  Chairman.  Be  sure  that 
your  proposal  will  be  earnestly  considered  by  the  Com- 
mission, and  anything  more  bearing  upon  it  will  be 
entertained  and  welcomed  if  sent  to  my  home  address." 

The  General  Convention,  House  of  Bishops,  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  1916. 

Report  of  the  Committee  on  Memorials  and  Peti- 
tions : 

An  appeal  has  been  received  from  Joseph  R.  Wil- 
son, Esq.,  Philadelphia,  to  the  General  Convention  that 
it  sanction  and  approve  the  idea  of  ''A  Chapel  in 
Every  Home,"  which  is  that  there  be  set  apart  wher- 
ever possible,  in  every  dwelling  now  erected,  and  that 
there  be  included  in  every  dwelling  hereafter  erected, 
one  room,  small  or  large  as  circumstances  may  permit, 
specially  dedicated  to  Almighty  God  as  the  religious 
center  around  which  the  domestic  life  shall  revolve. 

The  Committee  offers  the  following  resolution : 

Resolved:  That  this  House  is  in  hearty  sympathy 
with  the  devout  purpose  of  the  petitioner;  it  realizes 
how  sadly  the  practices  of  prayer  and  family  worship 
are  neglected  and  crowded  out  by  the  conditions  of 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  73 

modern  life.  It  recognizes  the  practical  difficulties  of 
securing  privacy  and  seclusion  for  spiritual  exercises 
amid  present  day  conditions  of  apartments,  tenements, 
flats  and  crowded  living  quarters.  It  would  rejoice  to 
see  the  idea  of  the  petitioner  carried  out,  and  believes 
that  it  might  be  more  frequently  realized  in  the  larger 
mansions  and  spacious  residences  erected  or  occupied 
by  Christian  people.  This  House  therefore  gives  its 
warm  endorsement  to  this  appeal,  especially  so  far  as 
it  applies  to  the  deepening  of  the  religious  hfe  of  the 
home  and  the  practice  of  Family  Prayers,  and  com- 
mends the  whole  matter  to  the  consideration  of  the 
Committee  on  Pastoral  Letter. 

This  report  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Pas- 
toral Letter. 

Samuel.  Hart, 

Secretary. 

The  Right  Rev.  Ethelbert  Talbot,  Bishop  of  Beth 
lehem,  Pa. : 

"Nothing  could  bo  more  important  than  for  the 
Church  to  lay  strongest  emphasis  on  the  valuable  sug- 
gestion of  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  House  of 
BisJwps  unanimously  passed  the  enclosed  resolution. 
I  feel  convinced  that  you  will  be  greatly  gratified  to 
receive  this  Resolution  on  this  project  so  vital  to  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  God's  people  everywhere." 


METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  BISHOPS  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES. 

The  Right  Rev.  Henrj^  Spellmeyer,  Bishop,  M.  E. 
Church,  St.  Louis,  Mo. : 

''  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  and  a  mid-week 
prayer  service  attended  by  the  members  of  every 
family  would  soon  bring  the  w^orld  to  Christ,  and 
Christ  back  to  the  world." 


74  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME 

The  Right  Rev.  John  L.  Nuelson,  Bishop,  M.  E. 
Church,  Omaha,  Nebraska : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home.'  I  am  veiy  much 
impressed  with  the  sentiments  expressed  therein.'^ 

The  Right  Rev.  Earl  Cranston,  Bishop,  M.  E. 
Church,  Washington,  D.  C. : 

"Worship  in  every  home,  certainly.     'A  Chapel 
in  Every  Home'  where  it  is  practical.    Yes — giving 
that  demand  precedence  over  the  music  room  or  dan 
cing  room." 

The  Right  Rev.  J.  W.  Basford,  Bishop,  M.  E. 
Church,  Pekin,  China : 

"If  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  shall  result  in  the 
re-establishment  of  the  family  altar  in  American 
homes,  it  w^ill  prove  a  priceless  contribution  to  Ameri- 
can civilization." 

The  Right  Rev.  William  F.  McDowell,  Bishop,  M. 
E.  Church,  Chicago : 

"I  am  sure  all  who  have  any  interest  in  the  home 
and  family  life  of  the  nation,  and  therefore  in  the  na- 
tional life  itself,  must  agree  with  the  general  idea  and 
principle  of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  " 

The  Right  Rev.  William  F.  Anderson,  Bishop,  M. 
E.  Church,  Chattanooga,  Tenn.: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  amount  of 
good  that  can  be  accomplished  by  this  method  is  al- 
most incalculable.  The  home  after  all  lies  at  the 
foundation  of  our  progress,  of  both  our  commonwealth 
and  the  nation." 

The  Right  Rev.  Luther  B.  Wilson,  Resident  Bishop, 
M.  E.  Church,  Philadelpliia : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'    I  wish  that  it  were 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 


■5 


possible  for  every  home  to  have  such  a  place  for  prayer 
and  meditation/  The  importance  of  family  religion 
cannot  be  too  strongly  stated.  Hoping  that  this  book- 
let may  not  only  awaken  thought  but  lead  also  to  con- 
viction and  appropriate  action." 


HOW  THE  ANGLICAN  BISHOPS  THROUGHOUT 
THE  WORLD  RECEIVED  THE  MESSAGE. 

The  Right  Rev.  and  Hon.  Edward  Carr  Glyn, 
Bishop  of  Peterborough,  England: 

**  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  There  is  no  doubt 
that  anything  that  can  increase  the  Sanctity  of  the 
41ome'  life  must  be  a  great  advantage,  and  your  pro- 
posal tends  decidedly  that  way,  and  should  therefore 
meet  with  encouragement." 

The  Right  Rev.  William  Boyd  Carpenter,  Bishop 
of  Ripon,  England: 

"  '  A  Chapel  in  Every  Home. '  It  \vould  be  a  very 
great  thing  if  this  should  lead  to  a  revival  of  family 
prayer  in  at  least  all  Christian  households. ' ' 

The  Right  Rev.  John  Nathaniel  Quirk,  Bishop  Suf- 
fragan, of  Sheffield,  England : 

**  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  My  assurances  of 
the  earnest  hope  I  have  that  this  effort  may  be  blessed 
to  the  increase  of  private  prayer,  personal  consecration 
and  Religion  in  the  Home." 

The  Right  Rev.  John  William  Diggle,  Bishop  of 
Carlisle,  England: 

**  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  AMierever  such  a 
chapel  is  practicable  it  is  beneficent,  and  I  believe  with 
you  that  it  is  far  more  generally  practicable  than  is 
commonly  supposed.  Much  of  the  prevalent  decay  of 
public  worship  is,  I  think,  due  to  the  neglect  of  con- 
stantly teaching  from  the  pulpit  the  duty  and  value 
of  family  worship. ' ' 


76  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME 

The  Right  Rev.  George  Nickson,  Bishop  of  Jarrow, 
England : 

*'  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  idea  is  a  use- 
ful one  and  its  carrying  out  would  produce  a  move- 
ment toward  truer  spiritual  life  in  many  a  home.'' 

The  Right  Rev.  George  Rodney  Eden,  Bishop  of 
Wakefield,  England: 

''I  hope  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  will  be  pro- 
ductive of  a  great  deal  of  good." 

The  Right  Rev.  S.  E.  Marsden,  Assistant  Bishop 
of  Bristol,  England : 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home.'  I  cordially  agree 
that  w^herever  practicable  it  is  most  desirable  that 
there  should  be  a  room  set  apart  for  the  purpose  of 
family  worship,  and  also  for  private  prayer  and 
meditation  in  every  home." 

The  Right  Rev.  Arthur  Hamilton  Baynes,  Assist- 
ant Bishop  of  Southwell,  England : 

"I  have  perused  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  with 
much  interest,  and  sympathize  with  its  views." 

The  Right  Rev.  John  P.  A.  Bowers,  Bishop  Suf- 
ragan  of  Thetf ord,  Norfolk,  England : 

**  'A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home.'  I  think  the  sug- 
gestion is  admirable,  and  I  will  take  any  steps  I  can 
to  further  it  in  this  part  of  the  world." 

The  Right  Rev.  John  Wordsworth,  Bishop  of  Sal- 
isbury, England; 

**The  Bishop  desires  me  to  say  that  he  is  greatly 
interested  in  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  and  in  the 
object  at  which  it  aims." 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  K 

The  Right  Rev.  W.  II.  Yeatman-Biggs,  Bishop  of 
Worcester : 

"I  am  directed  by  the  Bishop  of  Worcester  to 
thank  yoii  for  your  book  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.* 
The  Bishop  entirely  agrees  with  you  that  the  home  and 
family  life  is  the  comer  stone  on  which  rests  national 
life  and  progress." 

The  Right  Rev.  Henry  Lake  Paget,  Bishop  Suf- 
ragan,  Stepney,  England : 

"The  Bishop  of  Stepney  asks  me  to  write  and 
thank  you  most  warmly  for  your  book,  and  to  say  that 
he  thinks  that  some  small  room  set  apart  for  prayer 
would  do  much  to  deepen  and  brighten  the  spiritual 
life  in  the  household." 

The  Right  Rev.  Edgar  Charles  Sumner  Gibson, 
Bishop  of  Gloucester,  England : 

''  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  suggestion  in 
it  is  well  worthy  of  consideration  and  I  should  be  glad 
to  see  it  carried  out  as  far  as  possible." 

The  Right  Rev.  John  Dowden,  Bishop  of  Edin- 
burgh,  Scotland: 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  With  the  idea  that 
underlies  it,  I  entirely  concur;  but  for  the  very  poor 
there  is  a  practical  impossibility.  Long  ago  I  have 
said,  puttmg  this  matter  on  an  obviously  reasonable 
footing,  'In  every  home  that  can  have  a  billiard  room, 
there  ought  to  be  a  chapel.'  Of  course  one  may  go  a 
little  farther  than  that." 


The  Right  Rev.  Rowland  Ellis,  Bishop  of  Aber- 
deen and  Orkney: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  So  great  is  the 
influence  that  the  home  life  exercises  upon  the  hfe  of 
the  nation  that  whatever  tends  to  raise  and  elevate  the 
home  must  prove  a  national  blessing." 


78  A  CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 

Bishop  Ellis,  of  Aberdeen  and  Orkney,  in  an  ad- 
dress before  the  Church  Congress  at  Swansea  in  1909, 
made  an  eloquent  appeal  for  the  sanctification  of  the 
family  life.     He  said: 

"Personal  religion,  the  spiritual  life  of  the  in- 
di\idual — this,  in  its  various  aspects,  has  a  very  real 
place  in  our  thoughts  as  Christians,  The  life  of  the 
Church,  its  growth  and  development — this,  too,  oc- 
cupies much  of  our  attention.  The  life  of  the  nation 
and  that  which  makes  for  national  well-being  and  na- 
tional greatness — this  again  comes  continually  before 
us  in  one  form  or  another.  It  is  right  that  we  should 
dwell  on  these  things,  but  do  we  dwell  sufficiently  on 
the  life  of  the  family?  Do  we  sufficiently  consider  that 
the  foundation  of  the  national  life  is  the  home,  that  it 
comes  first  in  the  order  of  time,  and  first  in  the  order 
of  importance;  that  the  nation  rises  or  siiiks  just  in 
proportion  as  its  families  are  pure  or  otherwise;  that 
if  you  want  to  raise  the  nation  and  to  purify  the 
country  you  must  first  of  all  raise  the  family  and 
purify  the  home? 

"The  sanctification  of  family  life,  then,  is  a  sub- 
ject that  may  well  occupy  the  attention  of  this  Con- 
gress. What  do  we  mean  by  the  sanctification  of 
family  life?  We  mean  that  the  home  should  be  a 
dwelling  in  which  Christ  abides  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  the  Sanctifier,  in  which  the  all-pervading 
presence  of  Christ  makes  its  influence  felt,  in  which 
all  the  members  are  united  to  Christ,  and  to  each  other 
in  Christ,  so  that  all  the  details  of  home  life  are  hal- 
lowed by  His  consecrating  touch,  and  the  home  be- 
comes the  abode  of  happiness  because  the  abode  of 
holiness." 


The  Eight  Eev.  Charles  Frederick  D'Arcy,  Bishop 
of  Ossory,  Kilkenny,  Ireland.  Transferred  1911  to 
the  Bishopric  of  Down,  Connor  and  Dromore : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  idea  set  forth 
therein  with  so  much  clearness  and  earnestness  is  cer^ 
tainly  one  which  makes  for  spirituality  and  devotion. 
In  the  rush  that  marks  the  present  age  there  is  danger 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  79 

lest  family  worship  should  be  forgotten.  Also  I  hold 
that  the  public  worshij)  of  the  church,  important  though 
it  be,  can  never  take  the  place  of  'Family  Prayers.'  " 

The  Right  Rev.  William  Arthur  Ilolbech,  Bishop 
of  the  Island  of  St.  Helena: 

"The  custom  of  Family  PrajTr  is  not  so  general 
now  as  f  onnerly,  and  I  hope  *  A  Chapel  in  Every  Home ' 
may  be  effective  in  restoring  the  use  of  that  very 
valuable  act  of  devotion." 

The  Right  Rev.  Alfred  Clifford,  Bishop  of  Luck 
now,  India: 

"I  have  a  chapel  in  my  own  home,  and  wherever 
I  may  be  in  the  future,  hope  to  be  able  to  devote  a 
room  to  this  purpose. ' ' 

The  Right  Rev.  Francis  A.  Gregory,  Bishop  of  the 
Island  of  Mauritius: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Ever}^  Home.'  I  think  it  is  im- 
possible not  to  sympathize  fully  with  this  endeavor 
though  it  is  so  easy  to  see  the  difficulties  in  the  way 
of  its  realization.  I  cannot  doubt  that  it  will  produce 
some  effect  and  the  mere  fact  of  bringing  the  idea  be- 
fore people's  minds  will  be  fruitful." 

The  Right  Rev,  John  Francis  Welsh,  Bishop  of 
Trinidad,  W.  I. : 

"I  cordially  join  my  brethren  and  other  Bishops 
who  have  previously  written,  in  approval  of  'A  Chapel 
in  Everj^  Home.'  Everything  that  tends  to  sanctify 
and  bless  the  Home  and  home  life  must  inevitably  re- 
act on  the  Civic  and  National  life." 

The  Right  Rev.  William  M.  Cameron,  Bishop  Co- 
adjutor, of  Capeto^^^l,  Africa: 

"  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  It  is  an  excellent 
idea,  v;hich,  if  carried  out,  would,  I  am  sure,  give  a 
brighter  spiritual  tone  and  much  spiritual  strength 
and  comfort  to  manv  a  familv," 


80  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

The  Right  Rev.  William  Willcox  Perrin,  Bishop  of 
British  Columbia: 

"May  the  distribution  of  *A  Chapel  in  Every 
Home'  be  a  real  help,  and  produce  results.  Personally 
I  can  testify  to  the  great  spiritual  advantage  it  is  to 
have  a  small  Oratory  in  the  home.  It  makes  a  dif- 
ference in  the  Family  Prayers,  and  for  private  devo- 
tion it  is  indeed  a  blessing  and  aid  to  devotion.  We 
value  a  short  Service  in  the  middle  of  the  day  which 
any  visitors  who  happen  to  come  to  luncheon  gladly 
attend.^' 

The  Right  Rev.  George  Alfred  Lefroy,  Bishop  of 
Lahore,  Punjab,  India: 

"I  must  unreservedly  accept  the  position  main- 
tained in  *A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home.'  I  have  always 
had  the  advantage  of  a  'Chapel  in  the  Home'  myself, 
both  during  20  years  when  I  was  a  member  of  the 
Cambridge  Mission  at  Delhi,  and  since  I  became  a 
Bishop,  and  I  know  how  invaluable  an  addition  it  is 
to  the  life  of  any  home.  I  earnestly  trust  that  the 
booklet  may  be  widely  read  and  produce  much  etfect." 

The  Right  Rev.  William  Edmund  Smith,  Bishop 
of  Lebombo,  Africa: 

*'  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.^  May  I  express  the 
hope  that  you  will  not  allow  the  matter  to  drop,  for 
the  modern  disregard  of  domestic  religion  is  a  matter 
which  ought  to  be  seriously  considered  by  all  religious 
people.  It  is  saddening  to  notice  the  increasing  num- 
ber of  homes  where  even  grace  at  meals  has  been  al- 
lowed to  drop.  A  revolution  of  the  character  of  your 
proposal  cannot  be  accomplished  mthout  a  great  deal 
of  hard  work  on  the  part  of  the  few  who  are  keen.  I 
hope  you  may  succeed  in  inspiring  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  lay-men  to  join  you  in  the  work.'^ 

The  Right  Rev.  Cecil  Wilson,  Bishop  of  Melanesia, 
New  Zealand: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'    I  have  no  doubt 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME  81 

whatever  that  there  should  be  in  ever}^  home  a  place 
set  apart  for  communion  with  God;  a  place  where  at 
any  time  one  can  be  hidden  in  His  tabernacle;  a  sanc- 
tuary out  of  which  we  can  see  things  as  God  sees  them. 
There  is  nothing  so  helpful  as  a  chapel  in  the  home, 
and  after  reading  what  you  and  others  have  said  on 
the  subject,  probably  some  who  had  thought  it  impos- 
sible to  provide  themselves  with  one,  will  fit  up  some 
room  or  cupboard  for  the  purpose.'^ 

The  Right  Rev.  George  Horsfall  Frodsham, 
Bishop  of  North  Queensland,  Australia : 

**I  welcome  very  heartily  the  idea  of  a  chapel  in 
each  home  where  all  the  household,  from  the  master 
to  the  maid  servant,  can  go  for  prayer.  Before  I  built 
a  tiny  wooden  chapel  outside,  I  set  apart  a  room,  as 
you  did,  in  my  house.  Not  one  of  us  failed  to  value 
it.^' 

The  Right  Rev.  Thomas  Henry  Armstrong,  Bishop 
of  Wangaratta,  Victoria,  Australia : 

"It  would  be  a  blessing  indeed  if  the  idea  of  'A 
Chapel  in  Every  Home'  could  be  carried  out.  I  am 
sorry  to  say  that  in  these  days,  prayer  is  too  often 
neglected — both  family  and  private.  If  some  such 
idea  as  this  could  become  general  and  a  place  be  set 
apart  for  worship  in  every  home,  it  would  do  much  to 
remedy  the  evil." 

The  Right  Rev.  Arthur  AVellesley  Pain,  Bishop  of 
Gippsland,  Province  of  Victoria,  Australia : 

'*I  most  heartily  agree  that  the  home  and  the 
family  is  the  cornerstone  on  which  rests  national  life 
and  progress.  Anything  that  aims  at  strengthening 
and  uplifting  home  life  is  worthy  of  our  fullest  sym- 
pathy. *A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home'  seems  to  me  well 
calculated  to  accomplish  the  important  object  it  has 
in  view. ' ' 

The  Right  Rev.  John  I).  Langley,  Bishop  of  Ben- 
digo,  Victoria,  Australia : 


82  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 

"The  subject  is  one  which  I  think  has  a  most  im- 
portant bearing  on  the  future  life  of  Christian  people." 

The  Right  Rev.  Charles  Oliver  Mules,  Bishop  of 
Nelson,  New  Zealand : 

*'  'A  Chapel  in  Ever>'  Home.'  It  brings  to  mind 
and  enforces  a  duty  too  frequently  altogether  neg- 
lected, especially  in  a  young  country,  such  as  New  Zea- 
land. To  make  the  provision  for  its  fulfillment,  which 
is  suggested  by  you,  would  not  be  too  difficult  for  at 
least  some  persons,  but  hitherto  I  have  onjy  met  with 
it  in  the  homes  of  the  clergy  of  my  own  Church. ' ' 


The  Right  Rev.  John  Edward  Mercer,  Bishop  of 
Tasmania : 

'*  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  idea  which  is 
therein  stressed  is  most  valuable.  Sincerely  trusting 
that  the  effort  may  bear  good  fruit." 

The  Right  Rev.  John  Edward  Mercer,  Bishop  of 
Bishop  of  Goulburn,  New  South  Wales : 

'*  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  am  sure  it  will 
do  much  good,  and  tend  to  home  and  family  worship." 

The  Right  Rev.  Moore  R.  Neylan,  Bishop  of  Auck- 
land, New  Zealand : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  If  widely  adopted 
is  bound  to  bring  blessing  to  individuals,  and  to  na- 
tions. The  very  strongest  bulwark  to  family  life  is 
family  prayer." 

The  Right  Rev.  George  Thomeloe,  Bishop  of  Al- 
goma,  Ontario,  Canada: 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  If  we  could  but  in- 
duce our  people  to  w^orship  God  at  home  they  would 
be  less  inclined  to  neglect  Him  elsewhere.  I  trust  that 
God  mav  richlv  bless  this  effort." 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  83 

The  Right  Rev.  John  Grisdale,  Bishop  of  Qu'Ap- 
pelle,  Canada : 

**  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  phices  in  which 
family  prayer  is  held  beebme  hallowed  by  many  sweet 
memories.  If  there  could  be  a  special  place  in  each 
home  for  this  purpose,  it  would,  1  believe,  be  of  great 
service.     May  God  bless  this  elfort." 

The  Right  Rev.  William  Cyprian  Pinkham,  Bishop 
of  Calgaiy,  Canada: 

''The  suggestion  conveyed  in  the  title  'A  Chapel 
in  Every  Home'  is  admirable,  and  I  shall  veiy  gladly 
do  anything  in  my  power  to  disseminate  the  idea  and 
urge  that  in  every  home,  wherever  practicable,  there 
should  be  a  place  for  prayer  and  meditation." 


The  Right  Rev.  William  Lennox  Mills,  Bishop  of 
Ontario,  Canada: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  A  room  set  apart 
as  a  chapel  in  a  home,  would  be  likely  to  encourage 
reverence,  and  a  spirit  of  worship  amongst  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  and  insure  family  worship,  which  is 
so  generally  neglected  in  this  work-a-day  materialistic 
age. ' ' 

The  Right  Rev.  Andrew  H.  Dunn,  Bishop  of 
Quebec : 

'^  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  deals  with  a  highly 
important  subject  and  it  would  be  good  indeed  if  we 
could  lead  all  our  people  who  have  rooms  in  their 
homes  for  various  purposes  to  set  apart  one  for 
prayer  and  praise." 


The  Right  Rev.  James  Fielding  Sweeney,  Bishop 
of  Toronto : 

*'  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  is  certainly  a  reason- 
able ideal  in  every  Christian  household.     If,  as  the 


84  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 

evidence  is,  there  was  a  sacred  spot  where  the  patri- 
arch was  wont  to  stand  before  the  Lord,  Gen.  19 :  v.  27, 
it  surely  follows  that  there  should  be  in  eveiy  Chris- 
tian home,  some  little  area  to  which  the  devout  might 
withdraw  to  pray.  The  influence  of  such  a  spot  would 
be  incalculable.  Why,  if  the  family  altar  was  set  up, 
rather  than  making  the  dining  room  table  its  substitute, 
how  frequently  in  after  life  would  the  scattered  mem- 
bers of  the  family  return  in  thought  and  catch  anew 
the  sacred  spirit  of  the  spot.^' 


The  Right  Rev.  Joseph  Lofthouse,  Bishop  of 
Keewatin,  Canada: 

''There  is  to  my  mind  a  real  danger  in  making  our 
religion  one  only  of  'Church'  and  not  'Home.'  Any- 
thing to  help  on  this  'Home'  side  of  religion  I  most 
gladly  welcome." 

The  Right  Rev.  John  Pliilip  DeMoulin,  Bishop  of 
Niagara,  Canada: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  While  in  Canada 
we  may  have  more  observance  of  Family  Prayers  than 
you  have  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  we  are,  I  fear,  declining  in 
that  great  matter,  and  so  I  trust  your  publication  may 
through  the  Bishops,  be  a  timely  call  to  reformation. 
The  setting  apart  in  every  home  of  a  room  to  be  used 
as  a  Chapel  would  be  in  itself  a  recognition  of  the 
privilege  of  Family  Prayer  and  a  reminder  of  its 
neglect  when  not  used.  I  hope  this  effort  may  do  much 
good  in  a  matter  of  so  great  interest  and  importance." 

The  Right  Rev.  William  D.  Reeve,  Assistant 
Bishop  of  Toronto,  Canada: 

"You  have  put  your  finger  on  a  weak  spot  in  our 
family  life.  It  would  be  a  great  uplift  if  Family 
Prayer  could  be  re-established  in  the  home,  or  if  in- 
dividuals would  regard  one  spot  in  it  as  the  'chapel.' 
'A  Chapel  in  Eveiw  Home'  is  calculated  to  help  towards 
that  end.  Praying  that  its  circulation  will  have  the  re- 
sult desired." 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  85 


THE  GREAT  TRIBUTE  TO  THE   MESSAGE    FROM 
MINISTERS  OF  DIFFERENT  DENOMINATIONS. 

The  Rev.  Ernest  M.  Stires,  Rector  of  St.  Thomas' 
Church,  New  York : 

"The  words  of  St.  Paul  in  his  letter  to  Philemon, 
'The  Church  in  thy  house,'  have  always  suggested  to 
me  the  family  oratory,  as  well  as  the  Christian  family. 
The  value  of  such  a  chapel  is  not  restricted  to  those 
who  use  it  for  purposes  of  devotion.  It  is  an  eloquent 
message  for  every  visitor,  for  eveiy  servant,  for  every 
tradesman,  who  enters  the  house,  just  as  Trinity 
Church,  standing  at  the  head  of  Wall  Street,  is  a  mes- 
sage even  for  those  who  have  never  entered  its  doors. 
God  hasten  the  time  when  there  will  be  a  chapel  in 
every  home,  and  may  His  abundant  blessing  be  with 
this  inspired  effort." 


The  Rev.  Louis  C.  Washburn,  Rector,  Christ 
Church,  Philadelphia,  Pa.: 

"The  multiplication  of  hotels  and  apartment 
houses  for  poor  as  well  as  rich,  in  a  generation  that 
is  afraid  to  read  the  Bible  in  its  schools,  calls  for  con- 
structive imagination  and  persuasiveness  such  as 
glows  from  your  pages,  if  home  religion  is  to  be  re- 
claimed. May  tliis  devout  effort  be  abundantly  re- 
warded. ' ' 

The  Rev.  William  T.  Manning,  Pastor,  Trinity 
Church,  New  York  (now  Bishop  of  New  York) : 

"  *A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home.'  The  matter  did 
not  come  before  the  1913  Convention,  but  the  sugges- 
tion was  one  which  could  not  fail  to  comimend  itself 
to  earnest  church  people." 

The  Rev.  John  S.  Bunting,  Rector,  Christ  Church, 
Macon,  Georgia: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Everj-  Home.'  I  think  I  can  best 
express  my  estimate  of  it  by  telling  you  I  am  going  to 


S6  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME 

proceed  to  make  the  plan  effective  in  my  parish  at  once 
on  mv  return  from  the  General  Convention.  1  think  I 
mav  "best  do  this  by  issuing  a  circular  letter  to  my 
communicants  about  it.  You  have  written  not  only  an 
appeal,  but  a  challenge  to  faith  that  will  wake  up  more 
than  one  locality.  The  Hour,  the  Fact,  the  Place  of 
Praver,  all  go  together.  With  God's  blessing  assured 
in  tiiis  effort." 


The  Rev.  James  S.  Stone,  Rector  of  St.  James' 
P.  E.  Church,  Chicago: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  have  read  it  mth 
delight,  and  hope  and  pray  that  He  who  put  it  into  your 
heart  to  write  it  will  make  it  a  means  whereby  many 
of  our  people  may  be  brought  back  to  a  realization  of 
the  duty  and  joy  of  family  worship.  It  is  a  good  sign 
that  such  a  book  has  been  printed." 

The  Rev.  Floyd  W.  Tomldns,  Rector  of  the  Church 
of  the   Holy  Trinity,  Pliiladelphia : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  am  very  much 
pleased  with  it,  and  I  believe  it  m411  do  good.  I  wish 
all  success  in  this  good  work." 

The  Rev.  Alexander  Mann,  Trinity  Church, 
Boston : 

"To  have  in  the  house  one  room  which  is  espe- 
cially associated  in  the  minds  of  all  the  family,  parents 
and  children,  with  religion,  is,  I  think,  a  very  beautiful 
and  helpful  thing." 

The  Rev.  William  R.  Turner,  Memorial  Church 
of  St.  Paul,  Overbrook,  Philadelphia: 

"If  there  were  more  praying  in  the  home,  there 
would  be  more  people  attending  Church.  If  the  ideal 
of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  were  realized,  the  Sab- 
bath questions  would  be  settled.  I,  therefore,  pray 
our  Heavenly  Father  to  bless  this  work  for  Him  and 
for  the  betterment  of  humanitv." 


A   CHAPEL   IN   EVERY   HOME  87 

The  Rev.  Robert  A.  Edwards,  St.  John's  P.  E. 
Church,  Holmesburg,  Pa.: 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  read  it  all 
through  at  one  sitting  and  needless  to  say  greatly  en- 
joyed it  all.  The  idea  is  both  unique  and  original. 
Anything  that  tends  to  emphasize  the  value  and 
beauty  of  united  prayer  is  worthy  of  hearty  com- 
mendation." 

The  Very  Rev.  Winfred  H.  Ziegler,  Archdeacon 
St.  John's  Cathedral,  Albuquerque,  N.  M.: 

"In  Alaska,  as  one  enters,  at  the  tundra's  edge, 
the  poor  hut  of  the  Aleut,  the  shrine  \Wth  its  ikon  and 
lights  is  the  first  thing  which  catches  the  eve.  It  has 
been  cherished  from  generations  and  has*  convinced 
the  babies  and  youths  of  the  prevailing  presence  of 
One  who  sacrificed  himself  for  all  men.  In  our  Amer- 
ican homes,  what  is  there  of  teaching  value  to  our  chd- 
dren  and  our  guests?  The  family  portraits?  The 
High  School  Diplomat     The  phonograph? 

"Children  cannot  be  taught  religion.  If  they  do 
get  it  they  get  it  by  'catching'  it.  They  see  that  their 
fathers  and  mothers  have  it,  and  then  they  grow  up  in 
it.  The  family  altar  and  altar  cross,  the  liolv  picture, 
and  the  holy  Book,  all  as  part  of  the  household  furnish- 
ing, will  give  more  of  God  to  the  child  and  to  the  man 
than  years  of  fonnal  religious  instruction.  Moreover  if 
husband  and  ^ife  a^U  earnestlv,  at  home  as  well  as' in 
church,  pray  together,  they  will  in  this  life  more 
patiently  and  with  more  harmony  Uve  together.  God 
bless  this  inspired  endeavor." 

The  Rev.  Elwood  Worcester,  Emmanuel  Church, 
Boston,  Mass.: 

"The  project  appeals  to  me  verv  stronglv.  I  be- 
lieve that  the  general  discontinuance  of  familv  wor- 
ship IS  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  the  decav  of  practical 
Christianity,  and  I  feel  sure  that  anv  means  which 
would  promote  such  worship  would  be"  an  inestimable 
rehgious  blessing  to  this  country." 


88  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME 

The  Rev.  Robert  Johnston,  Church  of  the  Saviour, 
Philadelphia,  Pa.: 

''There  are  many  people  who  would  be  greatly 
helped  by  having  a  little  comer  of  the  house  dedicated 
as  a  place  of  quiet.  I  know  many  such  and  they  find 
the  little  chapel  in  the  home  helpful  to  them.  The 
particular  place  becomes  by  association  the  holy  place. 
There  are  others,  however,  who  like  Brother  Lawrence 
can  realize  the  presence  of  God  in  the  refectory  of 
the  monastery  as  vividly  as  at  the  altar  of  High  Mass. 
This  latter  position  is  one  rarely  attained.  I  can  see, 
however,  that  the  idea  of  a  chapel  in  every  home  might 
be  the  means  of  recovering  for  some  the  sense  of  the 
presence  of  the  Eternal  which  could  then  spread  over 
every  detail  and  every  place  in  life." 

The  Rev.  W.  H.  Roberts,  State  Clerk  and  Treas- 
urer, General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  U.  S.  A.: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  suggestion 
made  therein  is  admirable,  and  is  in  full  harmony  with 
the  spirit  and  life  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
U.  S.  A.  As  a  Church  we  make  much  of  the  home 
and  of  the  family  altar.  To  us  the  head  of  the  house- 
hold is  the  priest,  and  the  gathering  of  the  family  for 
worship  each  day  of  the  week,  the  approach  of  the 
household  to  God,  acknowdedging  His  Fatherhood, 
seeking  his  blessing  and  receiving  grace  sufficient  for 
every  need,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  and 
Saviour.  That  family  w^orship  is  not  a  feature  of  the 
life  of  a  large  number  of  Christian  families  in  every 
denomination  is  to  us  a  source  of  deep  regret.  We 
hail,  therefore,  with  pleasure  every  movement,  by 
members  of  all  Christian  churches,  that  shall  give  to 
the  family  altar  its  proper  place,  and  emphasize  yet 
more  clearly  the  declaration  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  tiiat 
Christians  are  a  'royal  priesthood.'  " 

The  Rev.  Perry  S.  Allen,  President,  Presbyterian 
Ministers  Fund,  Philadelphia,  Pa.: 

' '  If  the  ideals  in  '  A  Chapel  in  Every  Home '  could 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 


89 


be  realized  in  all  Christian  countries  it  would  estab- 
lish the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  the  earth  in  a  very  short 
time,  and  the  work  of  a  thousand  years  would  be  done 
in  a  day." 

The  Rev.  John  Grant  Newman,  Pastor,  The 
Chambers  Wylie  Memorial  Presbyterian  Church,  Phil- 
adelphia, Pa.: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  have  read  it  all. 
The  idea  is  so  fine  that  it  makes  me  think  it  was  given 
you  in  a  moment  of  inspiration.  I  tnily  wish  that  the 
thought  might  become  a  universal  fact.  Let  us  hope 
that  it  may." 

The  Rev.  W.  C.  Robinson,  Pastor,  Northminster 
Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia,  Pa.: 

''The  idea  of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  is  cer- 
tainly a  beautiful  one.  While  I  have  always  urged 
prayer  and  home  religion,  I  never  thought  of  the  room 
set  apart.  It  seems  to  me  that  such  a  room  might,  like 
the  alabaster  box  of  ointment,  send  a  perfume  through 
all  the  house  and  to  every  place  where  the  family 
should  go.  In  my  judgment  a  superlative  need  in 
these  times  is  to  get  the  families  back  to  religious 
practices.  In  modern  pressure  and  huriy  we  have 
sacrificed  things  that  are  beyond  calculation." 

The  Rev.  Guido  Bossard,  Overbrook  Presbyterian 
Church,  Overbrook,  Philadelphia: 

''To  make  our  religion  the  power  it  should  be  in 
our  lives  and  the  lives  of  our  people,  your  ideal  of  'A 
Chapel  in  Every  Home'  must  be  realized  far  and  wide. 
Surely  you  may  count  on  the  hearty  co-operation  of 
every  one  interested  in  the  highest  welfare  of  his 
fellow  men." 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Y.  Nicholls,  Pastor,  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  St.  Louis : 

"I  heartily  approve  of  the  plan  advocated  in  'A 
Chapel  in  Every  Home. '    It  could  not  fail  to  minister 


90  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME 

to  the  support  of  family  religion.  '  The  Church  in  the 
House'  is  first  in  importance,  and  whatever  promotes 
its  welfare  should  receive  the  earnest  consideration 
of  all  Christians.  The  Chapel  in  the  House  should  be 
the  most  sacred  and  inspiring  room  in  it.  A  little 
sanctuary,  a  place  for  prayer  and  meditation,  a  refuge 
in  times  of  sorrow  and  trouble,  and  an  altar  place  for 
the  sacrifice  of  praise.  I  trust  the  plan  suggested  may 
have  its  practical  application  in  thousands  of  homes 
and  have  its  fruit  in  the  revival  of  family  religion." 

The  Rev.  George  Rutger  Brauer,  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  Setauket,  L.  I.: 

''If  households  could  be  interested  and  persuaded 
to  adopt  this  idea,  there  would  be  a  gracious  revival 
of  pure  and  undefiled  religion.  Most  homes  have  a 
parlor  reserved  for  company,  a  guest  chamber  for 
visitors.  Is  there  any  place  in  our  homes  reserved 
for  God  I  What  a  beautiful  idea  that  is,  to  have  a 
chapel  in  the  home,  some  nook  or  corner  which  has 
been  beautified,  made  convenient  and  comfortable,  re- 
served for  God  and  the  future  of  spiritual  life." 

The  Rev.  W.  Lyall  Wilson,  Dundee,  Scotland : 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  am  glad  that  I 
had  the  opportunity  of  discussing  its  subject  matter 
with  you  personally.  You  know  already  how  heartily 
I  sympathize  with  your  suggestion,  and  believing  firmly 
as  I  do  that  the  family  is  the  unit  of  a  healthy  and 
happy  state,  I  welcome  and  support  everything  that 
aims  at  the  consecration  and  elevation  of  the  home." 


The  Rev.  Walter  Calley,  Pastor,  First  Baptist 
Church,  Jamaica  Plain,  Boston,  Mass.: 

''I  believe  the  idea  of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home' 
is  worthy  of  careful  thought  and  if  carried  into  prac- 
tice would  do  much  to  sweeten  the  family  life  and 
bring  the  individual  nearer  to  God." 

The  Rev.  L.  Walton  Terry,  N.  W.  Baptist  Conven- 
tion, Tacoma,  W^ashington : 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  91 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  It  is  something 
entirely  new  to  me  and  I  have  read  the  same  with  a 
great  deal  of  interest.  Pra}dng  that  God  may  bless 
this  effort  for  the  betterment  of  Homes." 


The  Rev.  Ilulbert  G.  Beeman,  Pastor,  Walnut 
Street  Baptist  Church,  Waterloo,  Iowa : 

"The  longer  I  am  in  the  pastorate,  the  more  I  am 
convinced  of  the  great  need  of  the  present  day,  in  the 
revival  of  personal  and  family  devotion.  'A  Chapel 
in  Every  Home'  suggests  a  plan  that  ^^^ll  greatly  aid 
in  this  direction.  It  should  have  the  co-operation  and 
hearty  support  of  every  Clergyman  in  this  matter." 

The  Rev.  H.  C.  Rosamond,  Pastor,  First  Baptist 
Church,  Eldorado,  Ark. : 

"The  idea  of  'A  Chapel  in  Ever>^  Home'  is  one  of 
the  very  best  and  wdll  be  far-reaching  in  its  influence. 
I  pray  that  the  Holy  Spirit  will  use  it  as  a  means  of 
establishing  a  Chapel  in  many  thousands  of  homes.  I 
hope  that  it  will  get  millions  of  our  people  to  hold 
frequent  communion  with  God.  May  His  richest  bless- 
ing rest  upon  this  work." 

The  Rev.  David  Carol  Williams,  Pastor,  First 
Baptist  Church,  Globe,  Ariz.: 

"The  idea  of  'A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home'  is  a 
capital  one,  and  that  which  will  help  build  up  the 
family  life  is  certainly  to  be  welcomed.  The  home  out 
of  touch  with  God  is  an  immeasurable  hindrance  to 
all  our  work." 


George  L.  White,  General  Missionaiy  and  Corre- 
sponding Secretary,  American  Baptist  Home  Mission- 
ary Society,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah: 

"  'The  Chapel  in  Everj^  Home'  presents  a  most 
excellent  idea.  In  proportion  as  its  aim  can  be  realized 
we  will  have  more  devout  lives  and  more  happy 
homes." 


92  A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

The  Eev.  George  D.  Adams,  Pastor,  Chestnut 
Street  Baptist  Church,  Philadelphia,  Pa.: 

*'The  ideal  of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home^  is  truly 
splendid  and  ought  to  be  reaUzed  in  a  Christian  civil- 
ization. Too  long  the  world  has  had  'no  room  in  the 
Inn'  for  Christ.  Family  worship  is  the  tap  root  of 
rehgion  and  the  propagation  of  such  worship  is  sure 
promotion  of  the  Kingdom  of  Grod  in  the  earth. ' ' 

The  Rev.  A.  C.  Applegarth,  Pastor,  The  Chestnut 
Hill  Baptist  Church,  Philadelphia,  Pa.: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  God  speed  this 
good  work.  All  who  have  had  experience  know  that 
out  of  the  home  are  the  issues  of  life.  As  the  home 
is,  so  will  the  business  and  social  worlds  be.  And  the 
'church  in  the  sanctuary'  ^vill  never  be  and  do  what 
the  Master  intends  it  should  be  and  do  until  once  more 
we  have  'church  in  the  house.'  " 

The  Rev.  W.  C.  Golden,  Corresponding  Secretary, 
Tennessee  Baptist  Convention,  Nashville,  Tennessee : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  strikes  the  key-note 
of  the  highest  ideal  of  home  religion." 

The  Rev.  Kerr  Boyce  Tupper,  Pastor,  First  Bap- 
tist Church,  Philadelphia: 

"A  Chapel  in  every  house  is  an  ideal  not  more 
unique  and  novel  than  it  is  desirable  and  practicable. 
Years  ago  a  great  and  good  man  said,  'Where  God  has 
given  roof  there  He  expects  an  altar';  and  the  chapel 
thought  is  one  that  should  be  emphasized  in  connec- 
tion with  the  altar  thought.  Why  not  have  in  our 
homes,  then,  a  special  place  where  men  can  hear  God's 
voice,  meditate  upon  God's  word  and  grow  in  God's 
image;  a  place  which  more  and  more  becomes  to  the 
soul  a  gate  of  Heaven  and  a  door  to  immortality,  a 
fixed  and  familiar  place  of  communication  with  the 
Infinite  and  the  Eternal ?" 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  93 

The  Rev.  George  W.  Tniett,  Pastor,  First  Baptist 
Church,  Dallas,  Texas: 

"The  citadel  both  for  Church  and  State  is  the 
Home.  As  goes  the  Home,  so  shall  go  everything 
throughout  all  the  social  order.  The  lofty  resolution 
of  the  noble  Joshua  should  be  the  dominant  resolution 
in  every  Home:  'As  for  me  and  my  house,  we  vnW 
serve  the  Lord.'  There  can  be  no  substitutes  for  the 
duty  and  privilege  of  Family  Worship.  Whatever, 
therefore,  will  magnify  the  best  expression  of  Chris- 
tianity in  the  Home  should  have  the  unceasing  and 
most  faithful  attention  of  the  people  everywhere,  of 
every  age,  class,  condition  and  circumstance." 

The  Rev.  H.  H.  Weber,  General  Secretary,  the 
Board  of  Church  Extension  of  the  General  Synod  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheraai  Church  in  the  United 
States : 

"  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  strikes  a  tender 
chord  in  my  heart.  I  say  splendid.  Nothing  will  so 
much  conduce  to  make  us  better  men  and  women,  as 
the  secret  chamber  for  prayer  in  every  home  in 
America.  I  am  pleased,  too,  with  the  whole  argument 
on  the  subject.  It  is  telling  and  most  convincing.  I 
trust  and  pray  the  day  may  soon  come  when  'A  Chapel 
in  Every  Home'  will  be  a  reality." 

The  Rev.  E.  P.  Pfatteicher,  Pastor,  Evangelic<al 
Lutheran  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.: 

* '  Tliirty  years  ago  there  was  no  dust  on  the  family 
Bible.  Ten  years  ago  it  was  covered  with  dust.  To- 
day there  is  no  family  Bible.  We  must  replace  it  and 
use  it.  If  our  religion  is  vital,  of  course  there  ought 
to  be  *  A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  and  it  ought  not  to 
be  in  the  attic.  Your  purpose  is  definite  and  highly 
essential  if  righteousness  is  to  continue  in  our  land." 

The  Rev.  J.  Eugene  Dietterich,  Pastor  of  St. 
Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  Glenside,  Mont- 
gomery County,  Pa.: 


94  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME 

'*I  believe  every  home  should  have  a  bathroom 
and  a  chapel,  the  one  for  the  body  and  the  other  for 
the  soul.  I  wish  every  home  could  have  its  chapel 
where  family  worship  could  be  conducted  and  where 
every  member  of  the  family — and  visitors  too — could 
go  for  private  devotions — where  all  would  be  expected 
to  go  before  breakfast  and  before  retiring.  I  believe 
it  would  sweeten  the  temper  of  every  one,  cause  each 
to  be  more  kindly  disposed  toward  the  other,  prevent 
the  children  being  led  away  in  bad  courses  of  con- 
duct, bind  husband  and  wife  closer  together,  bring  all 
into  closer  fellowship  with  God  and  in  a  closer  follow- 
ing of  His  guidance,  develop  Christian  character  and 
Christian  experiences,  make  life  worth  living  and 
death  worth  dying.  Family  Worship  such  as  our 
fathers  had  seems  to  be  too  largely  abandoned.  I 
hope  this  idea  of  the  'chapel'  in  the  home  may  not 
only  take  its  place,  but  enlarge  its  scope.  I  shall  pray 
for  the  extension  of  the  work  and  I  shall  be  glad  if  I 
can  do  anything  to  help  the  good  cause. '^ 

The  Rev.  S.  A.  Ziegenfuss,  Pastor,  St.  Michael's 
Lutheran  Church,  Germanto^vn,  Philadelpliia,  Pa.: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  will  surely  serve 
to  awaken  many  hearts  to  a  revival  of  the  family  altar 
which  in  too  many  instances  has  been  neglected.  I 
sincerely  hope  that  the  noble  end  may  be  reached,  and 
the  family  life  may  be  permeated  with  the  spirit  of 
true  devotion.  With  the  prayer  that  'A  Chapel  in 
Every  Home'  may  have  the  divine  blessing  and  the 
effort  be  crowned  with  success." 

The  Rev.  W.  Bamf  ord,  Pastor,  Cookman  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  Philadelphia : 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  the  Home'  takes  me  back  into  my 
yesterdays  when  father,  mother  and  seven  children 
gathered  around  the  family  altar.  Father  would  read 
the  Bible  and  pray  and  upon  closing  the  prayer  mother 
would  rise  from  her  knees,  pass  along  the  line  of  the 
seven  children,  placing  her  hand  upon  the  head  of 
each  child,  would  send  up  a  brief  ejaculation  beginning 
with  the  eldest  and  closing  with  the  babe  in  arms  or  by 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  95 

her  side.    I  was  the  fifth  child.    Oh !  the  touch  of  that 
hand  on  my  head,  and  the  sound  of  tliat  voice  in  my 
ears,  as  she  said:  'God  bless  my  boy,  William.'    I  feel 
the  touch  and  hear  the  voice  today. 
"  *  'Tis  greatly  wise  to  talk  with  our  past  hours, 
And  ask  what  report  they  bore  to  heaven.'  " 

The  Rev.  P.  W.  Webb,  Pastor,  A.  M.  E.  Church, 
Marche,  Ark. : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  am  just  in  from 
attending-  my  annual  conference.  Finding  this  valuable 
asset  added  to  my  scant  library  I  am  forced  to  feel  that 
I  am  highly  complimented.  Timely  indeed  does  the 
force  of  its  language,  so  heartily  endorsed  by  the  lead 
ers  of  a  gi*eat  church,  clinch  itself  upon  and  within  my 
heart.  The  thought  of  the  Home  and  its  spiritual 
atmosphere  being  of  vital  concern  to  me,  becomes  more 
so,  since  gleaning  these  pages.  So  much  do  my  people 
(colored)  need  it  that  I  could  not  refrain  seizing  the 
privilege  of  equipping  myself  for  the  distribution  of  its 
message.  I  fear  that  we  are  departing  somewhat  from 
the  force  of  its  plea." 

The  Rev.  Oscar  Edward  Maurer,  Pastor,  The  First 
Church  of  Christ,  New  Haven,  Connecticut: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  In  a  day  when  the 
fires  on  the  family  altar  seem  to  wane,  it  is  a  great 
]oy  to  one  who  believes  implicitly  in  the  immense  prac- 
tical value  of  the  devotional  life,  to  find  that  a  busy  pro- 
fessional man  is  furthering  the  cause  of  family  worship 
— not  theoretically,  but  by  outlining  a  practicable  plan. 
I  wish  it  every  success." 


The  Rev.  Henry  S.  Clubb,  Pastor  of  the  Philadel- 
phia Bible  Christian  Church : 

**  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Had  this  idea  and 
suggestion  been  adopted  in  Europe  three  years  ago  the 
war  that  is  now  devastating  that  quarter  of  the  world, 
in  all  probability  would  not  have  occurred." 


96  A  CHAPEL  IN  EVEEY  HOME 

The  Rev.  George  Hamilton  Combs,  Independence 
Boulevard  Christian  Church,  Kansas  City : 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Let  me  express  my 
appreciation  of  this  work — none  more  beautiful,  more 
urgent.    The  home! — everything  must  begin  there." 

The  Eev.  William  V.  Berg,  Pastor,  Central  Con- 
gregational Church,  Philadelphia,  Pa.: 

*'  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  am  in  hearty 
sympathy  with  the  motive  which  prompted  the  prepara- 
tion of  this  book,  and  on  the  manner  of  the  presentation 
of  this  timely  subject." 

The  Eev.  ^Y.  E.  Biederwolf,  EvangeHst  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Family  Altar  League,  Chicago,  111. : 

"The  thought  of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  ap- 
peals to  me  mightily.  It  holds  me  in  a  giip  of  tremen- 
dous interest.  I  stood  recently  in  the  home  of  a  church 
officer  and  saw  one  of  the  best  rooms  dedicated  to  the 
bilHard  game,  another  room  dedicated  to  music,  and 
yet  another  room  given  to  a  conservatory  for  flowers, 
and  I  confessed  to  my  disappointment  in  finding  no 
room  for  the  worship  of  God.  Profoundly  grateful  for 
every  modern  movement  dedicated  to  the  uplift  of 
humanity  we  are,  nevertheless,  face  to  face  with  the 
solemn  recognition  that  unless  the  Church  rings  out 
with  increased  and  clarion  emphasis  the  slogan  'Back 
to  Family  Worship'  society  is  lost.  Here  is  the  divine 
source  of  that  prevention  which  is  far  better  than  any 
cure,  which,  alas !  so  often  is  never  found.  The  thought 
is  big  with  meaning.  It  is  beautiful;  it  is  practical. 
Christian  Conventions  ought  to  emphasize  it.  Eccle- 
siastical Assemblies  ought  to  encourage  it.  Christian 
people  ought  to  practice  it.  May  God  prosper  this 
great  thought." 

Rabbi  Joseph  Krauskopf,  Temple,  Philadelphia: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Your  noble  appeal 
for  a  revival  of  one  of  the  most  sacred  of  fonner-day 
home  institutions,  is  worthy  of  the  artistic  form  in 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVEEY   HOME  97 

whicli  you  have  issued  it.    I  have  read  the  same  from 
cover  to  cover  with  genuine  delight." 

Rabbi  Henry  Berkowitz,  Congregation  Rodelph 
Shalom,  Philadelphia: 

**1  am  just  now  engaged  in  compiling  a  very  in- 
teresting collection  of  home  prayers  to  be  used  by  the 
Central  Conference  of  American  Rabbis.  I  cite  these 
facts,  as  I  presume  they  will  interest  you,  as  indicative 
of  the  fulfillment  of  those  pious  sentiments  which  have 
prompted  you  to  the  earnest  advocacy  of  the  promotion 
of  the  reverent  spirit  in  the  home.'^ 


BIBLE,  SUNDAY  SCHOOL,  CHRISTIAN  AND 
OTHER  ASSOCIATIONS. 

E.  K.  Mohr,  Superintendent,  Purity  Department, 
The  International  Sunday  School  Association: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  You  cannot  claim 
too  much  for  this  splendid  idea,  and  the  hearty  re- 
sponse from  so  many  leaders  is  witness  to  the  fact  that 
God  has  spoken  through  you  to  a  real  need  in  heart 
and  home.  Imdted  to  many  Christian  homes  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  countrj^,  the  'Chapel'  shall  not  be  for- 
gotten and  I  trust  I  may  learn  to  speak  about  it  that 
many  bless  God  for  this  practical  suggestion." 

W.  G.  Landes,  General  Secretaiy,  Pennsylvania 
State  Sabbath  School  Association,  Philadelphia,  Pa.: 

' '  '  A  Chapel  in  Every  Home. '  I  have  gone  through 
it  with  interest  and  I  feel  that  God  has  given  you  an 
idea  that  should  at  once  impress  every  individual  who 
desires  to  see  the  kmgdom  of  God  extended  through 
this  great  land  of  ours.  In  these  days  of  conunercial- 
ism,  when  values  are  considered  by  the  temporaiy 
standard  of  dollars  and  cents,  it  is  well  to  have  our 
attention  called  to  the  things  that  are  eternal  and 
divuie.  The  strength  of  this  nation  is  in  its  home  hfe, 
and  if  in  the  home  a  place  can  be  secured  where  daily 
intercourse  may  be  had  with  our  Heaveidy  Father,  our 


98  A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY  HOME 

homes  cannot  help  but  be  purer,  and  from  which  our 
children  will  go  in  the  strength  of  right  living  and 
righteousness. ' ' 

George  H.  Stuart,  Jr.,  President,  The  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  Vice-Pres- 
ident, The  Philadelphia  Bible  Society: 

' '  The  message  of  '  A  Chapel  in  Every  Home '  brings 
a  new  light  to  the  world.  It  is  a  challenge  to  the  faith 
of  us  all.  A  Christian  household  is  the  unit  upon  whose 
foundation  is  built  the  structure  of  an  enduring  na- 
tional life,  and  the  influence  of  this  message  shall  be 
recorded  upon  the  pages  of  history.  The  title,  so  well 
chosen  by  the  author,  clearly  indicates  the  intimate 
connection  between  worship,  and  family  reverence  for 
those  objects  winch  transcend  the  grosser  elements  of 
our  physical  being. 

''If  ever  there  was  a  time  when  the  chapel  in  the 
home  would  throw  its  beacon  light  upon  a  world,  sin- 
tossed  and  strugghng  with  passions  and  doubts,  surely 
it  is  now.  It  would  shine  out  over  the  raging  sea  of 
wavering  faith  and  pilot  us  into  the  haven  of  prayer, 
to  find  sweet  comfort  and  divine  guidance  in  the  sanc- 
tuary of  the  Most  High.  Within  its  portals  we  could 
lay  our  w^eakness,  our  sorrow  and  our  perplexity  be- 
fore our  Grod,  and  in  secret  communion,  in  our  o\vn 
home,  day  or  night.  The  banner  of  our  sanctuary' 
would  ever  proclaim  to  our  fellow-man  our  allegiance 
to  the  King  of  Kings,  and  our  brotherhood  with  human- 
ity. The  thought  is  a  noble  one  in  its  conception  and 
wholly  practicable  of  execution. 

"May  this  chapel,  therefore,  be  set  up  in  every 
home  throughout  our  land,  and  in  every  land,  that  by 
its  sacred  influence,  admission,  and  teachings,  the  youth 
and  manhood  of  the  world  may  find,  enjoy  and  trans- 
mit to  succeeding  generations  the  blessings  alike  of 
true  religion  and  civil  and  political  liberty." 

Emilie  F.  Kearney,  Teacher  Training  Superin- 
tendent, Philadelphia  County  Sunday  School  Associa- 
tion: 

"  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Those  of  us  who  are 
daily  in  intimate  contact  vnth  the  religious  life  of  this 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  99 

city  can  appreciate  what  a  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home  would 
mean  to  the  spiritual  life  of  our  people — it  would  go  a 
long  way  toward  solving  our  great  religious  problems. 
You  can  be  assured  that  I  am  with  you  in  your  work 
and  will  be  glad  to  speak  about  its  glorious  possibilities 
whenever  I  have  the  opportunity.  *' 


Anne  Townsend  Scribner,  President,  Federation 
Women's  Bible  Classes,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania: 

*'  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  It  is  a  beautiful 
thought,  and  is  directly  in  line  with  our  conviction  in 
the  Federation.  We  believe  as  you  do,  that  'The  home 
and  the  family  is  the  cornerstone  on  which  rests  na- 
tional life  and  progress';  only  we,  of  course,  empha- 
size the  position  that  woman  holds  as  the  kej'^  to  a  great 
part  of  the  situation  w^ith  a  devoted,  consecrated  wom- 
anhood, studjdng  the  Bible.  An  idea  such  as  is  con- 
veyed in  your  book  of  a  consecrated  place  in  the  home 
would  be  of  inestimable  benefit." 


Ellen  E.  Fay,  Missionary,  Faith  Mission,  Kanbalu, 
Burma,  India: 

*'  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  For  many  years  I 
have  tried  to  have  a  quiet  place  for  communion  with 
God.  The  heathen  in  their  homes  have  a  place  in  one 
comer  devoted  to  their  gods,  where  many  times  a  day 
they  bow"  for  worship.  I  hope  and  pray  that  your  book 
may  lead  Christians  to  consecrate  some  place  in  their 
homes  to  God." 


David  H.  Wright,  Secretary,  American  Bed  Cross, 
Philadelphia  Chapter,  Independence  Hall,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa. : 

* '  It  is  a  superb  thought,  and  one  that  will,  \^'ithout 
doubt,  weave  itself  into  the  pages  of  histor>\" 

D.  L.  Anderson,  for  twenty-five  years  Assistant 
Superintendent  of  Bethany  Sunday  School,  Philadel 
phia  (John  Wanamaker's) : 


100  A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

'*I  have  read  with  much  interest  your  'Home 
Chapel'  idea,  and  must  say  that  I  feel  only  God  through 
His  spirit  could  have  inspired  it.  My  sainted  father  and 
mother  had  a  special  place  of  prayer  in  our  old  Home- 
stead. I  have  tried  in  a  weak  way  to  follow  their  exam- 
ple. The  Home  must  be  the  salvation  of  the  race  or  at 
least  the  foundation  must  be  laid  there.  May  God  bless 
you  and  establish  your  plans  over  our  country.'' 


William  Hamilton,  Chairman,  Home  and  Visitation 
Committee,  The  International  Sunday  School  Associa- 
tion, Toronto,  Canada : 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  commend  your 
wisdom  in  reaching  with  this  the  chief  officers  of  the 
various  religious  denominations,  and  I  am  glad  to  see 
with  what  unanimity  they  endorse  a  movement  for  the 
restitution  of  a  Family  Altar." 

G.  S.  Eddy,  Associate  General  Secretary,  Foreign 
Work,  The  International  Committee  of  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  New  York: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  It  is  a  remarkable 
little  volume.  If  this  could  be  introduced  into  every 
home,  what  good  it  would  accomplish.  May  God  bless 
you  in  this  work." 

Robert  H.  Gardner,  Secretarj^,  World  Conference 
on  Faith  and  Order: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  am  sure  it  ^vill  be 
of  great  value  in  restoring  the  recognition  of  the  need 
of  family  prayers." 

Hubert  Carleton,  General  Secretaiy  and  Editor  of 
St.  Andrew's  Cross: 

*'  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  You  are  certainly  to 
be  congratulated  on  the  interest  you  have  aroused  over 
such  a  very  wide  and  influential  field.  A  mention  of  it 
in  St.  Andrew's  Cross  will,  I  am  sure,  call  to  the  at- 
tention of  many  eager  to  do  ever^^thing  they  can  to  de- 


A   CUAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  101 

velop  the  Christian  life  in  themselves  and  in  others, 
the  need  and  blessing  of  following  what  you  advocate.'* 

W.  S.  Battin,  Secretary  and  Registrar,  Synod,  Dio- 
cese of  Toronto: 

"The  first  thought  that  occurred  to  me,  after  the 
perusal  of  'A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home'  was  one  of 
thankfulness  to  the  Divine  Ruler  that,  in  this  age  of 
strenuousness  and  worldliness,  there  should  be  one 
with  a  sufficient  realization  of  the  responsibility  rest- 
ing upon  him  to  devote  the  necessaiy  time  and  thought 
to  a  matter  which  certainly  should  be  considered  of 
first  and  paramount  importance.  In  the  career  of  ever>" 
family,  as  in  that  of  ever>^  individual,  the  fear  of  God 
should  be  the  starting  point,  but  in  too  many  cases  I 
fear  it  is  not.  If  every  young  couple  upon  getting  mar- 
ried could  be  persuaded,  right  at  the  start,  to  estab- 
lish a  chapel  or  altar  in  their  home  and  have  family 
prayer,  it  would  prove  a  good  example  to  the  children, 
and  prevent  many  troubles  in  after  life.  Much  might 
be  done  by  the  clergy  in  this  connection.  In  the  build- 
ing up  of  this  vast  country,  yours  and  ours,  we  want 
good,  honest,  reliable.  Christian  men  and  women,  and 
in  the  inculcation  of  the  principles  contained  in  your 
book,  you  are  doing  your  best  towards  the  attainment 
of  this  desirable  result.  Tnisting  that  the  effort  may 
be  abundantly  blessed." 


PRESIDENTS  OF  UNIVERSITIES,  COLLEGES 
AND  SEMINARIES. 

Henry  B.  Bro^\^l,  A.  M.,  President,  Valparaiso 
University,  Valparaiso,  Indiana. 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Ever>^  Home.'  I  certainly  con- 
gratulate you  on  the  courage  you  have  had  to  present 
this  matter  in  such  a  delightful  way.  If  the  plan  could 
be  carried  out  (and  why  could  it  not?)  there  would  be 
no  need  for  jails  and  penitentiaries.  I  appreciate  more 
than  I  can  tell  your  kindness  in  sending  me  a  copy.  If 
there  is  any  way  in  which  I  can  co-operate  \\'ith  you  I 
shall  be  only  too  happy  to  do  so." 


102 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVEEY  HOME 


A.  B.  Storms,  LL.  D.,  D.  D.,  President,  Iowa  State 
College : 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  idea  of  having 
a  chapel  in  every  home  is  of  great  interest.  The  sug- 
gestion appeals  to  me  strongly.  I  do  not  see  why  it  is 
not  practicable.  In  an  age  of  feverish  commercialism 
and  intellectual  excitement  men  need  more  than  ever  a 
place  of  retreat." 

W.  H.  P.  Faunce,  D.  D.,  President,  Brown  Univer 
sity.  Providence : 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Certainly  the  home 
is  the  unit  of  civilization,  and  whatever  strengthens 
and  deepens  home  life  is  an  aid  to  the  life  of  the  entire 
nation.  I  believe  in  the  quiet  hour  as  of  great  value 
to  every  human  being,  and  shall  be  glad  if,  through 
your  efforts,  that  hour  can  find  permanent  place  in 
many  Uves." 

James  B.  Angell,  LL.  I>.,  President,  University  of 
Michigan : 

"Thank  you  for  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  con- 
taining your  excellent  suggestion  and  its  endorsement 
by  eminent  men,  some  of  them  my  old  friends.  It  gives 
me  great  pleasure  to  say  how  heartily  I  coincide  with 
you  and  with  them,  and  especially  with  my  old  college- 
mate,  George  Dana  Boardman.  If  this  publication 
serves  to  restore  the  old  custom  of  family  prayers,  you 
will  no  doubt  regard  yourself  as  amply  repaid. ' ' 

Edgar  Fahs  Smith,  Sc.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Provost,  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania : 

**  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  want  you  to  know 
that  I  feel  there  is  a  great  deal  in  your  plan — more  than 
any  one  of  us  realizes." 

F.  W.  Hamilton,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  President,  Tufts 
College,  Mass. : 

''You  propose  a  noble  and  helpful  ideal." 


A  CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  103 

David  Starr  Jordan,  LL.  D.,  President,  Leland 
Stanford,  Jr.,  University,  California : 

*'  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  suggestion  is 
certainly  one  of  great  interest  to  religious  people." 

Henry  S.  Drinker,  LL.  D.,  President,  Lehigh  Uni- 
versity : 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  have  read  it  with 
much  interest  and  have  at  once  placed  it  in  our  college 
library  for  the  inspection  of  our  faculty  and  students." 

Sidney  E.  Mezes,  Ph.  D.,  President,  University  of 
Texas : 

''Your  suggestion  and  the  letters  regarding  it  are 
sure  to  prove  helpful  and  inspiring  to  those  who  are 
fortunate  enough  to  receive  them." 

Alston  Ellis,  Ph.  D.,  LL.  D.,  President,  Ohio  Uni- 
versity : 

''I  thank  you  for  giving  me  the  opportunity  to  read 
and  study  the  contents  of  the  booklet  which  is  freighted 
with  what  I  regard  as  a  most  pertinent  statement  rela- 
tive to  a  matter  of  supreme  importance." 

A.  W.  Harris,  LL.  D.,  President,  Northwestern 
University,  Evaustown  and  Chicago,  111. : 

'*I  am  much  interested  in  the  purpose  of  your 
booklet,  'A  Chapel  in  Ever>^  Home.'  I  trust  it  will  ac 
complish  the  results  which  your  energ}'  desei^es." 


Josiah  H.  Penniman,  LL.  D.,  Provost,  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia : 

''The  thought  that  there  should  be  set  apart  a 
portion  of  each  day  for  religious  meditation  and  wor- 
ship is,  of  course,  a  generally  accepted  one,  but  your 
thought  that  there  should  not  only  be  a  time,  but  also 
a  special  place  in  every  home,  however  great,  or  how- 


104  A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

ever  humble,  which  should  be  set  apart  as  a  place  of 
worship,  is  of  importance,  for  it  emphasizes  the  neces- 
sity in  the  life,  and  in  the  home.  Moreover,  the  fact 
that  there  is  such  a  place  in  the  house  is  likely  to  keep 
ever  in  the  minds  of  its  occupants,  the  necessity  of  hav- 
ing also  a  time  for  worship. 

' '  Of  course,  God  may  be  worshipped  acceptably  in 
any  place,  but,  in  a  special  place,  the  worship  is  less 
apt  to  be  interfered  with  by  the  encroachments  of 
worldly  thoughts  and  worldly  things.  If  your  idea  could 
be  realized  in  every  home  where  men  profess  and  be- 
lieve in  and  worship  God,  the  effect  on  those  who  do 
not  make  such  professions  would  be  incalculably  great 
for  good. 

''May  your  devotion  to  a  great  cause,  the  greatest 
of  all  causes,  be  rewarded  by  the  setting  apart  of  in- 
numerable places  of  worship  sacred  to  God  whom  we 
profess  to  serve." 

Edwin  E.  Sparks,  LL.  D.,  President,  Pennsylvania 
State  College: 

' '  The  matter  you  present  so  lucidly  and  forcefully 
should  appeal  to  every  American  citizen.  I  will  place 
the  book  in  the  college  library  where  I  hope  it  will  be 
of  continued  service  to  present  and  future  students." 

Frank  Strong,  Chancellor  of  the  University  of 
Kansas : 

''With  best  wishes  for  'A  Chapel  in  Every 
Home.'  " 

Henry  A.  Blittz,  D.  D.,  President,  Drew  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  Madison,  N.  J. : 

"The  setting  apart  of  a  particular  room  in  the 
house,  however  small,  as  you  suggest,  which  shall  be 
recognized  as  the  home  of  the  spirit,  where  the  family 
and  friends  may  be  gathered  for  communion  with  God, 
cannot  be  otherwise  than  promotive  of  spiritual  life 
and  constitute  a  telling  uplift  towards  better  living; 
it  will  also  serve  as  a  bond  to  unite  parents  and  chil- 
dren together  better  perhaps  than  any  other  method." 


A  CHAPEL  IN  EVERY  HOME  105 

The  Eev.  J.  H.  Stahr,  President,  Franklin  and 
Marshall  College : 

"  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  have  read  it  with 
a  great  deal  of  interest  and  I  heartily  agree  with  you 
in  the  statement  that  'any  effectual  means  of  strength- 
ening and  uplifting  home  life,  of  deepening  the  relig- 
ious and  moral  con\'ictions  and  purity  which  are  the 
very  essence  of  home  life,  must  have  vital  effect  upon 
the  national  life  of  the  human  family  as  a  whole.'  If 
every  family  could  be  induced  to  have  a  sacred  place,  a 
sacred  time  would  naturally  follow,  and  there  would 
be  restored  to  family  life  the  element  of  stated  wor- 
ship now  so  sadly  lacking." 

Gustav  Andrees,  President  of  Augustana  College 
and  Theological  Seminaiy,  Rock  Island,  Illinois : 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  received.  I  thank 
you  very  much  for  the  same  and  certainly  believe  with 
you  that  there  should  be  a  family  center  for  spiritual 
thought  and  communication  and  uplift.  In  my  father's 
home,  I  may  well  say  that  his  library  was  this  center. 
In  Fjellstedt  College,  in  Upsala,  Sweden,  there  was  a 
room  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  students  and  teach- 
ers, solely  for  prayer  and  meditation." 

George  B.  Stewart,  President  of  the  Auburn  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  Auburn,  New  York: 

*'  'A  Chapel  in  Eveiy  Home.'  I  wish  to  express 
my  unqualified  approval  of  the  idea.  Many  je&rs  ago 
Mrs.  Stewart  and  I  entertained  the  same  thought  and 
set  apart  a  room  in  our  house  for  such  uses.  It  is  true, 
we  did  not  carry  out  the  idea  as  fully  as  you  have 
carried  it  out,  but  we  regarded  it  as  our  'prayer  room.' 
I  think  you  have  worked  out  the  idea  in  a  beautiful 
and  in  a  practical  way,  and  I  join  with  you  in  the  hope 
that  many  may  be  led  by  what  you  have  said  to  con- 
secrate their  homes  in  this  most  helpful  way." 

E.  P.  Fairchild,  President,  Lincoln  Memorial  Uni- 
versity, Cumberland  Gap,  Temiessee: 


106  A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY   HOME 

**  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  was  much  im- 
pressed when  I  first  saw  the  title,  with  the  value  of  the 
thought.  I  think  there  can  be  no  question  but  that  this 
important  message  was  given  you  to  deliver  at  this 
time.  We  have  always  had  the  family  altar  at  our 
home  since  our  marriage  in  1882  and  I  would  rather  be 
deprived  of  most  any  other  daily  blessing  than  this. 
There  should  also  be  the  Chapel  in  Every  home.  This 
seems  natural  and  almost  a  necessity,  and  would  be 
quite  sure  to  lead  to  family  prayers." 

Woodrow  Wilson,  President  of  Princeton  Univer- 
sity: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  am  sure  that  every 
one  will  appreciate  the  spirit  in  which  you  have  con 
ceived  it." 

Fletcher  Homan,  LL.  D.,  President,  Willamette 
University,  Salem,  Oregon: 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  It  is  designed  to 
do  great  good  and  to  accomplish  the  most  permanent 
blessings  in  every  home.  A  reverential  appreciation  of 
the  presence  of  God  is  the  surest  ground  of  safety  and 
happiness  for  the  home,  the  community  or  nation.  May 
the  richest  blessings  of  the  Father  of  us  all  attend  this 
great  service  to  mankind." 

D.  R.  Frazer,  President  of  the  German  Theological 
School  of  Newark,  N.  J. : 

'  *  The  specific  work  of  our  school  is  the  training  of 
ministers  to  carry  the  gospel  to  the  hosts  of  foreign- 
speaking  peoples  now  landing  on  our  shores,  in  order 
that  every  man  may  hear  the  glad  tidings  in  his  own 
tongue  wherein  he  was  bom.  Of  course,  this  immense 
immigration  brings  its  own  perils  and  problems. 
These  we  are  striving  to  solve.  But  we  feel  that  the 
real  danger  of  our  civilization  lies  in  the  degradation  of 
the  American  home  in  which  is  being  reared  a 
generation  concerning  whom  it  can  be  truthfully  said, 
God  is  not  in  all  their  thoughts.    This  new  eifort  re- 


A   CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME 


107 


bukes  this  teiidciicv  to  live  S\^tliout  God  in  the  world' 
and  we  hope  it  may  help  in  the  speedy  upreanng  of 
*A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  " 

Rev.  Samuel  Hart  Dean,  Berkeley  Divinity  School, 
Middletowni,  Conn. : 

'*  '  A  Cliapel  in  Every  Home.'  Your  plan  and  pur- 
pose certainly  commend  themselves,  and  I  sincerely 
hope  that  what  you  have  written  will  bring  many  to 
see  the  value  of  rightly  ordered  family  prayer  suitably 
provided  for." 

The  Right  Rev.  Lewis  W.  Burton,  President,  Mar- 
garet College,  Versailles,  Ky. : 

*'I  msh  and  earnestly  pray  that  your  lofty  ideals 
and  purpose  may  have  the  most  desirable  result  of 
leading  our  people  to  a  return  to  the  family  altar  and 
to  such  devotions  as  will  sanctify  the  home,  and  pre- 
vent that  which  seems  to  be  the  most  dangerous  of  the 
features  of  our  modern  civilization— the  loss  to  the 
modem  generation  of  pure,  inspiring  home-life,  which 
was  such  a  mighty  factor  in  the  life  of  preceding  gen- 
erations, the  problems  of  modem  house-keeping  break- 
ing up  everywhere  the  households  of  our  people." 

OTHER  EDUCATORS. 

Charles  F.  Kent,  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature, 
Yale  University,  New  Haven,  Conn. : 

'^  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  am  eager  to  wel- 
come any  plan  which  vdW  develop  religion  here  in  Amer- 
ica. This  development  of  the  family  so  that  it  will 
function,  is  certainly  the  great  task  which  lies  before 
us  in  the  present  generation.  In  many  homes,  espe- 
cially where  the  more  ritualistic  type  of  faith  prevails, 
I  am  sure  that  your  plan  will  prove  of  great  value.  It 
has  seemed  to  me  that  in  the  average  home  the  prob- 
lem of  restoring  family  worship  must  be  worked  out  by 
adapting  it  very  closely  and  simply  to  the  habits  and 
limitations  of  each  individual  family  group,  as  they  at 
present  exist." 


108 


A  CHAPEL.  IN  EVERY  HOME 


Warren  Powers  Laird,  Dean,  Department  of 
Architecture,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.: 

''The  Family  Altar  of  earlier  generations  was 
but  a  name  as  far  as  concerned  the  visible  instruments 
of  divine  worship,  and  yet  how  real  the  influence  upon 
home  life  of  the  thing  for  which  that  name  stood,  the 
daily  gathering  of  the  household  for  a  common  ap- 
proach to  the  presence  of  a  personal  God!  The 
practice  seems  to  be  passing  wdth  changing  conditions 
of  life,  yet  the  necessity  for  it  is  no  less.  Indeed,  the 
increasing  diversity  and  pressure  of  the  distractions 
of  life,  render  more  desirable  some  tangible  reminder 
of  the  necessity  of  prayer  in  daily  life,  and  your  sug- 
gestion of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  points  the  way 
to  a  practical  satisfaction  of  that  need. 

"To  the  architect  whose  created  w^orks  are  not  only 
the  seat  but  the  symbol  of  the  life  to  be  lived  within 
them,  the  opportunity  to  incorporate  a  chapel  in  the 
home  must  bring  peculiar  satisfaction,  for  it  would 
enable  him  to  complete  the  practical  provisions  for  the 
various  functions  of  home  life,  now  too  universally 
confined  to  the  physical  and  social  sides.  The  'ora- 
tory' or  private  chapel  of  mediaeval  times  has  ever 
enriched  and  dignified  the  house  in  which  it  appeared 
because  it  was  a  frank  declaration,  in  the  most  beauti- 
ful form  possible  to  craftsmanship,  of  the  supreme 
place  allotted  to  religion  in  the  life  of  the  establish- 
ment. 

"It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  place  of  prayer  will 
increasingly  be  made  a  part  of  the  equipment  of  our 
homes  and  I  am  sure  that  your  earnest  efforts  will 
give  distinct  impulse  to  this  end." 

William  Draper  Lewis,  Dean,  Department  of 
Law,  University  of  Pennsylvania: 

"Each  line  of  what  you  say  bears  evidence  of  the 
fact  that  you  have  given  to  the  idea  your  best  thought 
for  a  long  time.  The  idea  is  an  inspiring  one  and 
you  have  succeeded  in  giving  me  some  of  your  en- 
thusiasm for  it." 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  109 

Richard  M.  Jones,  LL.  D.,  Head  Master,  William 
Penn  Charter  School,  Philadelphia: 

"I  have  been  greatly  interested  in  the  subject 
which  you  present  so  lucidly  and  so  convincingly.  You 
certainly  are  on  the  right  track,  and  if  you  accomplish 
nothing  more  than  to  draw  the  attention  of  our  people 
to  the  importance  of  some  sort  of  family  worship, 
your  efforts  A\ill  merit  and  will  receive  the  grateful 
appreciation  of  your  fellow  men." 


George  E.  Nitzsche,  Recorder  of  the  University  of 
Pemisylvania : 

"  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  is  a  very  great 
contribution  to  the  general  betterment  of  humanity. 
I  am  sure  it  already  has,  and  will  continue  to  have, 
wide  influence  in  making  happier  many  homes." 


ACACIA  FRATERNITY. 

Acacia  Fraternity,  Cornell  University,  Allen 
Jayne,  Secretary: 

"Our  chapter  is  in  receipt  of  *A  Chapel  in  Evoiy 
Home.'  Personally  I  believe  that  the  chief  ill  of  the 
country  today  is  the  lack  of  religious  influence  on  the 
children  in  their  ovrii  homes.  Religious  impressions 
when  made  on  children  at  the  proper  age  go  deep  into 
the  character  and  have  great  influence  in  the  years 
to  come,  although  sometimes  this  influence  is  not 
recognized  by  any  except  the  person  himself." 

Acacia  Fraternity,  University  of  Chicago,  Donald 
J.  Pope,  Secretary: 

"Our  chapter  is  in  receipt  of  *A  Chapel  in  Every 
Home.'  Our  complex  society  is  continually  more  in 
need  of  higher  ideals  of  duty  to  God  and  fellow  man 
and  each  should  note  \\ith  pleasure  the  efforts  of  all 
who  attempt  to  raise  these  ideals." 


110  A   CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

Acacia  Fraternity,  Columbia  University,  New 
York,  E.  F.  Humphrey,  Secretary: 

"I  wish  on  behalf  of  Tsadhe  Chapter  of  Acacia 
Fraternity  to  extend  to  you  our  heartfelt  thanks  for 
the  copy  of  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home/  It  brings 
back  to  our  minds  the  impressive  talk  on  that  subject 
given  to  us  on  that  memorable  March  20th  night.  We 
shall  most  carefully  treasure  it  among  our  archives/' 

Acacia  Fraternity,  Columbia  University,  New 
York,  H.  H.  Holmes,  President: 

'*  '  A  Chapel  in  Everj^  Home. '  Many  thanks  on  be- 
half of  our  chapter,  but  a  gift  so  extraordinary  in  its 
sweetness  of  spirit  merits  all  that  can  be  said  person- 
ally and  officially. 

"I  can  anticipate  the  joy  of  our  cliapter  by  my 
own  delight.  The  night  of  our  first  banquet  you  en- 
graved upon  the  tablets  of  our  hearts,  'A  Chapel  in 
Eveiy  Home.'  Pleasant  are  those  memories,  and 
now  that  we  have  the  same  beautiful  sentiments  in 
booklet  form  you  may  imagine  our  appreciation. 
Coming  at  this  day  of  unrest  and  skepticism,  'A 
Chapel  in  Every  Home'  serves  well  to  strike  a  counter 
stroke  to  such  movements,  and  I  am  sure  many  of  our 
youthful  courses  will  be  steered  to  better  services  by 
your  kind  words.'* 


Acacia  Fraternity,  Harvard  University,  Floyd  L. 
Duxbury,  Secretary: 

"You  have  made  a  valuable  addition  to  our  Hbrary 
and  given  us  a  good  thought.  We  thank  you  most 
heartily,  especially  for  the  idea." 

Acacia  Fraternity,  University  of  Kansas,  Walter 
G.  Theile,  Secretary: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  You  have  given  us 
a  great  ideal  to  think  about  and  the  thoughts  and 
sentiments  expressed  in  it  -will  receive  much  considera- 
tion from  us." 


A  CHAPEL  IN    EVERY   HOME  111 

Acacia  Fraternity,  University  of  Michigan,  L.  S. 
Mercer,  Secretary: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  We  appreciate  it 
and  feel  that  it  is  something  that  deserves  more  than 
ordinarv  attention." 


OTHER  PROMINENT  LAYMEN. 

Hon.  Hampton  L.  Carson,  Philadelphia,  President, 
American  Bar  Association : 

**I  recall  that  you  spoke  to  me  of  this  beautiful 
thought  nearly  ten  years  ago,  and  the  words  you  used 
made  me  realize,  as  I  had  never  done  before,  affirma- 
tively and  positively,  the  value  as  a  tower  of  strength 
and  consolation  in  the  family  life  of  men  and  women 
of  the  presence  of  a  domestic  shrine.  I  have  never 
forgotten  those  words,  and  I  am  now  happy  in  being 
the  recipient  of  the  book  in  whicli  the  thought  is 
permanently  embalmed.'* 

George  Wharton  Pepper,  United  States  Senator 
from  Pennsylvania: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  entirely  approve 
of  your  main  idea.  It  seems  to  me  that  familv  prayers 
ought  to  be  an  important  part  of  family  hfe.  I  am 
sure  that  it  is  a  great  help  to  reverence  and  devotion 
to  have  a  place  set  apart  for  family  devotions.  In  my 
household  wo  know  from  practical  experience  that 
this  is  true." 

Hon.  George  B.  Orlady,  President  Judge,  The 
Superior  Court  of  Pennsylvania: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  sincerelv  hope 
that  the  seed  thus  planted  will  bear  fruit  an  hundred 
fold." 

Charles  F.  Gallagher,  Counsellor  at  Law,  Boston, 
Mass. : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'    It  is  a  sentiment 


112  A   CHAPEL.  IN    EVERY  HOME 

that  appeals  to  the  reUgious  side  of  every  life.  You 
have  certainly  sowed  a  wonderful  quantity  of  good 
seed  and  the  harvest  ought  to  be  ripe  indeed." 


John  A.  Dix,  Ex-Governor  of  the  State  of  New 
York : 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  builds  a  sure  founda- 
tion for  future  generations  of  character  of  the  Chris- 
tian type.  The  chapel  at  the  hearthstone  where  parents 
and  children  render  thanks  for  blessings  vouchsafed, 
should  have  the  universal  approval.^' 

Wilham  Homan,  Provincial  Grand  Treasurer  for 
the  United  States,  Royal  Order  of  Scotland,  New  York 
City: 

"1  am  full  of  enthusiasm  over  your  work  and 
know  your  initiative  is  the  first  impetus  of  a  great 
movement." 

W.  D.  Vincent,  Vice-president,  Old  National  Bank, 
Spokane,  Washington: 

**  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  idea  is  cer- 
tainly a  splendid  one,  and  at  this  time  can  be  made 
more  impressive  than  ever  after  the  war.  Reading 
what  you  say  makes  one  feel  like  being  an  evangelist 
in  the  cause.  With  the  hope  that  there  will  be  a 
chapel  in  Every  home. ' ' 

Mrs.  Ida  M.  Ryan,  Suffern,  N.  Y. : 

''I  think  a  chapel  should  be  in  every  home." 

Brig.  Gen.,  F.  S.  Strong,  U.  S.  Army: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  The  purpose  which 
prompted  you  to  undertake  the  work  is  in  the  highest 
degree  commendable  and  the  results  cannot  be  but  sat- 
isfactory. It  will  be  a  pleasure  for  me  to  show  it  to 
as  many  of  my  friends  as  possible  in  the  hope  that  it 
may  strike  a  responsive  chord  in  their  hearts." 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  113 

R.  E.  Field,  Banker,  Cincinnati,  Ohio: 

"I  can  only  subscribe  to  the  many  high  testimoni- 
aJs  contained  in  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home'  that  it  is, 
indeed,  a  wonderful  idea  and  one  which  I  am  sure  will 
bear  fiiiit  in  bringing  to  millions  of  families  in  this 
universe  a  higher  sense  of  duty  to  their  Maker,  with 
the  certainty  that  civilization  will  be  much  more  sub- 
stantially  advanced." 


Mary  Dunn  Kuser,  Bordentown,  N.  J.: 

'*  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  congratulate  you 
upon  this  work  which  I  feel  is  an  inspired  one.  The 
times  are  ripe  for  a  great  and  universal  religious  up- 
rising. There  are  evidences  of  the  reaction  against 
materialism  on  every  hand  and  your  book  is  one  of  the 
finger  posts.  The  thought  suggested  is  most  beautiful 
and  elevating  and  the  concrete  results  will  be  beyond 
your  estimating.^' 

Alba  B.  Johnson,  President,  The  Baldwin  Locomo- 
tive Works,  Philadelphia: 

**  *A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  One  of  the  saddest 
things  of  this  period  in  which  we  live  is  the  decadence 
of  family  worship  and  the  lack  of  religious  teaching  in 
the  home.  The  loss  of  religious  \atality  therefrom  to 
the  younger  generation  is  a  deplorable  fact  which  must 
have  far-reaching  effects,  and  against  which  we  should 
strive  with  every  effort  in  our  power." 

Howard  B.  French,  President,  Philadelphia  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce: 

"I  tiTist  that  your  vision  may  grow  as  years  pass 
and  that  your  life  may  be  spared  to  realize  that  tlie 
foundation  which  you  commenced  constructing  in  1898 
will  show  a  superstructure  appropriate  to  the  founda- 
tion which  you  built." 

Francis  B.  Reeves,  Philadelphia: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'   Thank  God  I  know 


114  A   CHAPEL   IN    EVERY  HOME 

the  value  of  the  chapel  in  the  home,  by  dearest  experi- 
ence. It  is  to  be  lamented  that  our  gospel  preachers 
as  a  rule  are  not  alive  to  the  duties  of  father  and 
mother  in  the  home." 

John  S.  Bioien,  Merchants  Union  Trust  Company, 
Philadelphia,  Pa. : 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  It  would  be  of  vast 
advantage  to  our  country  were  a  greater  recognition 
made  in  American  family  life  of  Almighty  guidance. 
The  subject  is  approached  from  innumerable  points  of 
view,  but  the  need  exists  and  acknowledgment  should 
be  more  general. ' ' 

John  A.  Wiedersheim,  Philadelphia,  Pa.: 

"  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  Its  object  is  great 
and  I  hope  that  it  will  do  much,  all  in  good  time.  In 
these  days  of  business,  excitement,  pleasure  and  for- 
getfulness,  causing  indifference  to  and  neglect  of  our 
Maker,  your  work  mil  help  to  bring  back  the  people 
to  their  allegiance  and  duty  to  Him." 

John  McMurdie  Warner,  Philadelphia,  Pennsyl- 
vania : 

*'  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  I  thank  you  sin- 
cerely for  the  privilege  of  having  this  tribute  of  your 
respect  and  love  to  all  powerful  God  to  keep  as  a  per- 
manent memento  of  a  friendship  which  has  extended 
over  eighteen  years ;  and  during  the  past  ten  years  or 
more,  when  in  some  quiet  spot  wherever  I  happened  to 
be,  I  have  daily  asked  our  Heavenly  Father  to  bless 
and  guide  you  and  your  family." 

George  Bradford  Carr,  Member  of  the  Philadel- 
phia Bar: 

''  'A  Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  In  reading  it  I  find 
myself  in  hearty  accord  with  every  word  and  line  of 
its  contents.  It  is  an  appeal  to  the  highest  and  best  in 
all  of  us.    I  am  sure  that  you  are  right,  and  that  if  we 


A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME  il5 

lived  closer  to  God  in  prosperity,  our  burden  of  sorrow 
would  be  lighter  to  bring  to  Him  in  time  of  disappoint- 
ment and  disaster." 


Rufus  J.  Foster,  M.  E.,  Scranton,  Pemisylvania : 

"Monday  night  at  the  annual  dinner  of  the  Men's 
Guild  of  the  St.  Luke's  Parish,  the  speakers  were  the 
Rector,  Rev.  Robert  P.  Kreitler,  Bishop  Biller,  South 
Dakota,  Judge  Fuller,  of  Wilkes-Barre,  and  Bishop 
Israel,  of  Erie.  It  will  interest  you  to  know  that  the 
text  of  Bishop  Israel's  address  was  your  book,  *A 
Chapel  in  Every  Home.'  He  related  how  he  had  found 
a  copy  of  the  book  on  his  desk  at  the  General  Conven- 
tion and  afterwards  wrote  you  and  received  a  copy  of 
the  more  elaborately  bound  volume.  His  speech  was  a 
magnificent  one,  and  veiy  thrilling." 

William  Waterall,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania: 

'*  'The  Chapel  in  the  Home' — as  you  picture  it— » 
is  a  reverent  and  beautiful  conception — and  will  surely 
be  helpful  in  promoting  the  establishing  of  the  family 
altar  in  the  home.  When  I  saw  your  little  sanctuary 
in  the  West  Philadelphia  home,  it  recalled  far-off  days, 
and  the  sacred  devotions  that  hallow  the  memory  of 
my  boyhood  life  in  England,  and  my  matured  family 
life  in  America.  Trusting  that  God's  blessing  will  go 
with  this  message." 


In  the  foregoing  reception  of  the  message  of  '*A 
Chapel  in  Everj^  Home ' '  we  find  men  and  women,  hail- 
ing with  praise  and  gladness  the  da"s\Ti  of  pre-eminent 
reverence,  veneration  and  respect  for  Almighty  God 
in  all  human  habitations.  There  is  a  gentleness,  a  com- 
pleteness about  their  closing  around  the  message  with 
mingling  consecration — a  perfect  acceptance,  which 
makes  it  imperishable.  This  message  will  live  from 
generation  to  generation,  even  unto  the  end,  growing 
by  adoption  into  a  fullness  and  beauty;  crowning  hu- 


116  A  CHAPEL  IN   EVERY  HOME 

man  existence  with  new  joys  through  a  daily  closer 
communion  with  our  Father  in  Heaven,  and  every 
home  shall  be  a  house  of  prayer. 

"Son  of  man,  behold,  they  of  the  house  of 
Israel  say,  The  vision  that  he  seeth  is  for  many 
days  to  come,  and  he  prophesieth  of  the  times  that 
are  far  off.  Therefore  say  unto  them.  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  God;  There  shall  none  of  my  words  be 
prolonged  any  more,  but  the  word  that  I  have 
spoken  shall  be  done,  saith  the  Lord.^' — Ezekiel 
12:  27-28. 


This  appeal  to  the  world  for  a  chapel  in  every 
home  closes  with  the  prayer  that  all  who  read  it  may 
see  the  vision  of  the  future  in  its  adoption,  and  help 
to  make  the  vision  a  reality. 

''And  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  un- 
derstanding, shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds 
through  Christ  Jesus." — Philemon  iv  :  7. 


INDEX 


CARDINALS. 

Page 

Cardinal  O'Connell,  Archbishop  of  Boston  53 

Cardinal  Falconio,  Apostolic  Delegate  to  the  United  States  ...       53 
Cadinal  Gibbons,  Archbishop  of  Baltimore 54 


PRIMATES. 

Primate  of  all  Ireland,  The  Most  Rev.  William  Alexander  . .  . 

Primus  of  Scotland,  The  Most  Rev.  W.  J.  F.  Robberds 

Primate  of  all  Ireland,  The  Most  Rev.  John  B.  Crozier  . .  . . 
Primate  of  all  Canada,  The  Most  Rev.  Samuel  P.  Matheson  . 
Primate  of  India  and  Ceylon,  The  Most  Rev.  R.  S.  Copleston 
Primate  of  the  West  Indies,  The  Most  Rev.  Enos  Xuttall  .. 


METROPOLITANS. 

Metropolitan  of  Queensland,  .Australia,  The  Most   Rev.  St.  C. 

G.  A.  Donaldson    56 

Metropolitan  of  South  .Africa,  The  Most  Rev.  William  O.  Bur- 
rows           56 

ARCHBISHOPS. 

Archbishop  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  The  Most  Rev.  John  Ireland  ..  56 
Archbishop  of  Chicago,    111.,    The    Most    Rev.   James    Edward 

Quigley    56 

Archbishop  of  Dubuque,  Iowa,  Tlie  Most  Rev.  John  J.  Keane..       57 

BISHOPS  OF  THE  PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

House  of  Bishops,  General  Convention.  St.  Louis,  1916.  ..  .71,  72,  73 
Bishop  of  Alabama,  The  Right  Rev.  Charles  M.  Beckwith  ....  03 
Bishop  Coadjutor  of  Albany,  The  Right  Rev.  Richard  Henry 

Nelson   65 

(117) 


118  INDEX 

PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  BISHOPS— Continued. 

Pago 

Bishop  of  Arizona,  The  Right  Rev.  J.  M.  Kendrick  64 

"    Arkansas,  The  Right  Rev.  Wm.  M.  Brown 69 

"    Asheville,  N.  C,  The  Right  Rev.  Junius  M.  Horner,       67 

"    Atlanta.  The  Right  Rev.  Cleland  K.  Nelson 66 

"    Bethlehem,  The  Right  Rev.  Ethelbert  Talbot 58,  73 

"    California,  The  Right  Rev.  William,  F.  Nichols  ....       47 
"    Central  New  York,  Tlie  Right  Rev.  Charles  Tyler 

Olmstead  69 

"    Chicago,  The  Right  Rev.  C.  P.  Anderson  62 

"  "  Connecticut,  The  Right  Rev.  Chauncey  B.  Brewster.  60 
"         "    Delaware,  The  Right  Rev.  J.  Frederick  Kinsman  . .       68 

"        "    Delaware,  The  Right  Rev.  Leighton  Coleman 17,43 

"    Eastern    Oregon,    The    Right    Rev.    Robert    L.    Pad- 
dock     10,  65 

"        "    Erie,  The  Right  Rev.  Rogers  Israel  68 

"        "    Florida,  The  Right  Rev.  Edwin  Gardner  Weed  ....       66 

"    Fond  du  Lac,  The  Right  Rev.  Reginald  H.  Weller..       63 

"         "    Fond  du  Lac,  The  Right  Rev.  Charles  C.  Grafton...       65 

"         "    Georgia,  The  Right  Rev.  Frederick  F.  Reese 69 

"         "    Honolulu,  The  Right  Rev.  Henry  B.  Restarick   ....       62 

"    Idaho,  The  Right  Rev.  James  B.  Funsten  67 

"         "    Indianapolis,  The  Right  Rev.  Joseph  M,  Frances  . .       63 

"    Kentucky,  The  Right  Rev.  T.  U.  Dudley 44 

"        "    Kyoto,  Japan,  The  Right  Rev.  Sidney  C.  Partridge,       70 

"         "    Laramie,  The  Right  Rev.  Anson  R.  Graves  17,  44 

"  "  Lexington,  Ky.,  The  Right  Rev.  Lewis  W.  Burton..  58 
"  "  Long  Island,  Tlie  Right  Rev.  Frederick  Burgess  ...  63 
"        "    Los  Angeles,  The  Right  Rev.  Joseph  H.  Johnson  . .       64 

"         "    Louisiana,  The  Right  Rev.  Davis  Sessums   66 

"    Maine,  The  Right  Rev.  H.  A.  Neely  17,44 

"         "    Marquette,  Mich.,  The  Right  Rev.  G.  Mott  Williams,       60 

"         "    Maryland,  The  Right  Rev.  William  Paret  71 

"         "    Massachusetts,  The  Right  Rev.  William  Lawrence..       70 


INDEX  119 

PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  BISHOPS— Continued. 

Page 

Bishop  of  Mississippi,  The  Right  Rev.  Theodore  D.  Bratton  ..  69 

"    Missouri,  The  Right  Rev.  Daniel  S.  Tuttle  46,71 

"    Montana,  The  Right  Rev.  Leigh  R.  Brewer 48 

"    Nebraska,  The  Right  Rev.  G.  Worthington   47 

"    Nebraska,  The  Right  Rev.  Arthur  L.  Williams  ....  65 

"         "    Nevada,  The  Right  Rev.  Henry  D.  Robinson 66 

"    New  Jersey,  The  Right  Rev.  John  Scarborough   ...17,44 
"    New  Mexico  and  .Arizona,  The  Right  Rev.  John  Mills 

Kendrick   64 

New  Mexico,  The  Right  Rev.  I->cderick  B.  Howden,  61 

"    North  Dakota,  The  Right  Rev.  Cameron  Mann 70 

"    New  York,  The  Right  Rev.  Henry  C.  Potter  ...17,21,4.3 

"    Ohio,  The  Right  Rev.  William  A.  Leonard   58 

"    Olympia,    Wash.,    The    Right    Rev.     Frederick   W. 

Keator  58 

"    Oregon,  The  Right  Rev.  Charles  Scadding 59 

"    Pennsylvania,  The  Right  Rev.  Ozi  W.  Whitaker  ..  64 
"    Pennsylvania,  The  Right  Rev.  Philip  ^L   Rhinelan- 

der 68 

"    the  Philippines,    The    Right     Rev.    Charles     Henry 

Brent    67 

"    Pittsburgh.   Pa.,   The   Right   Rev.   Cortlandt   White- 
head      59 

"    Porto  Rico,  The  Right  Rev.  James  H.  Van  Buren  ..  66 

"    Quincy,  111.,  The  Right  Rev.  M.  Edward  Fawcett  ..  62 

"    Rhode  Island,  The  Right  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Clarke  ..  45 

"    Rhode  Island,  The  Right  Rev.  Wm.  N.  McVickcr  . .  64 
"    Sacramento.  Cal.,  The  Right  Rev.  William  H.  More- 


land     

Shanghai.    China,    The     Right     Rev.     Frederick    R. 

Graves    

Southern    Florida,   The    Right   Rev.   William   Crane 

Gray   63 


.68,71 


61 


120  INDEX 

PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL  BISHOPS— Continued. 

Page 

Bishop  of  Tennessee,  The  Right  Rev.  Thomas  F.  Gailor 60 

"    Tokyo,  Japan,  The  Right  Rev.  John  McKim 67 

"    Washington,  D.  C,  The  Right  Rev.  Alfred  Harding,  68 
"         "    Western  Massachusetts,  The  Right  Rev.  Alexander 

H.  Vinton  60 

"         "    Western  Michigan,  The  Right  Rev.  John  N.  McCor- 

mick   70 

"    West  Missouri,  The  Right  Rev.  Edward'  R.  Atwill..  64 

"    West  Texas,  The  Right  Rev.  James  S.  Johnson 61 

"    West  Virginia,  The  Right  Rev.  George  W.  Peterkin,  70 

"    Wyoming,  The  Right  Rev.  Nathaniel  S.  Thomas  . .  .59,  71 

Secretary  of  The  House  of  Bishops,  The  Rev.  Samuel  Hart  ...  7Z 

METHODIST-EPISCOPAL  BISHOPS. 

Bishop  of  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  The  Right  Rev.  William  F.  An- 
derson      74 

"    Pekin,  China,  The  Right  Rev.  J.  W.  Basford 74 

"         "    Washington,  D.  C,  The  Right  Rev.  Earl  Cranston..  74 

"    Chicago,  111.,  The  Right  Rev.  William  F.  McDowell,  74 

"    Omaha,  Neb.,  The  Right  Rev.  John  L.  Nuelson 74 

"         "    St.  Louis,  Mo.,  The  Right  Rev.  Henry  Spellmeyer.  .51,  72i 

"    Philadelphia,  The  Right  Rev.  Luther  B.  Wilson  ...  74 

BISHOPS  OF  THE  ANGLICAN  CHURCH. 

Bishop  of  Newcastle  46 

Rochester    48 

Peterborough    75 

Ripon    75 

Sheffield    75 

Gloucester  77 

Carlisle    75 

Jarrow    76 


INDEX  121 

BISHOPS  OF  THE  ANGLICAN  CHURCH— Continued. 

Page 

Bishop  of  Wakefield    76 

"    Bristol   76 

"    Southwell    76 

"    Thetford   76 

"         "    Salisbury    76 

"        "    Worcester    ^^ 

"        "    Stepney    ^7 

"         "    Aberdeen  and  Orkney  77,  78 

"         "    Edinburgh    77 

"    Down,  Connor  and  Dromore  78 

"    Island  of  St.  Helena  79 

"        "    Island  of  Mauritius   79 

"    Trinidad,  W.  1 79 

"    Lucknow,  India   79 

"    Lahore,  India  80 

"         "    Lebombo,  Africa   80 

Bishop  Coadjutor  of  Capetown,  Africa 79 

Bishop  of  Wangaratta,  Victoria,  Australia    81 

"        "    Gippsland,  Victoria,  Australia  81 

"        "    Bendigo,  Victoria,  Australia   81 

"        "    North  Queensland,  Australia  81 

"        "    Goulburn,  New  South  Wales   82 

"         "    Nelson,  New  Zealand 82 

"        "    Auckland,  New  Zealand   82 

"        "    Melanesia,  New  Zealand 80 

"        "    Tasmania   82 

"        "    Qubec,  Canada,  The  Right  Rev.  Andrew  H.  Dunn  . .  83 
"    Ontario,  Canada,  The  Right  Rev.  William  Lennox 

Mills  83 

"        "    Toronto,   Canada,  The   Right   Rev,  James   Fielding 

Sweeney    83 

"        "    Algoma,  Canada,  The  Right  Rev.  George  Thorneloe,  82 


122  INDEX 

BISHOPS  OF  THE  ANGLICAN  CHURCH— Continued. 

Page 
Bishop  of  Niagara,   Canada,  The  Right  Rev.  John   Philip  De- 

Moulin  84 

"    Calgary,  Canada,  The  Right  Rev.  William  C.  Pink- 
ham  83 

"        "    Qu'Apelle,  Canada,  The  Right  Rev.  John  Grisdale  . .       83 
"        "    Keewatin,    Canada,    The    Right    Rev.    Joseph   Loft- 
house    84 

"        "    British  Columbia,  Canada,  The  Right  Rev.  William 

W.  Perrin  80 

The  Assistant  Bishop  of  Toronto,  Canada,  The  Right  Rev.  Wil- 
liam D.  Reeve  84 

THE  SALVATION  ARMY. 

General  William  Booth,  Founder  and  Commander-in-Chief   ...       57 

THE  VOLUNTEERS  OF  AMERICA. 

Ballington  Booth,  President  57 

MINISTERS. 

Protestant-Episcopal. 

The  Rev.  Ernest  M.  Stires,  St.  Thomas's  Church,  New  York,       85 

John  S.  Bunting,  Christ  Church,  Macon,  Ga 85 

Robert  A.  Edwards,  St.  John's  Church,  Holmesburg, 

Pa 87 

Robert  Johnston,   Church  of   the   Saviour,   Philadel- 
phia, Pa 88 

William  T.  Manning,  Trinity  Church,  New  York  ...       85 
(Now  Bishop  of  New  York.) 

James  S.  Stone,  St.  James's  Church,  Chicago  86 

Floyd  W.  Tomkins,  Holy  Trinity  Church,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa 86 

Elwood  Worcester,  Emmanuel  Church,  Boston,  Mass.,  87 
William   R.   Turner,   Memorial   Church   of   St.    Paul, 

Overbrook,  Philadelphia,  Pa 86 


INDEX  123 

MINISTERS— Continued. 

Page 
The  Very  Rev.  Winfred  H.  Ziegler,  .\rchdcacon,  St.  John's  Ca- 
thedral, Albuquerque,  N.  M 87 

The  Rev.  Louis  C.  Washburn,  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,      85 
"         "      Alexander  Mann,  Trinity  Church,  Boston,  Mass.  ...       86 

Presbyterian. 
The  Rev,  W.  H.  Roberts,  Stated  Clerk  and  Treasurer,  General 

Assembly,  Philadelphia,  Pa 88 

"        "     Perry    S.   Allen,    President,    Presbyterian    Ministers' 

Fund,  Philadelphia,  Pa 88 

"         "      John  Grant  Newman,  The  Chambers  Wylie  Memo- 
rial Church,  Philadelphia,  Pa 89 

"      W.    C.    Robinson,    Northminster    Church,    Philadel- 
phia, Pa 89 

•'        "      Guido    Bossard,    Overbrook    Presbyterian     Church, 

Philadelphia,  Pa 89 

"        "      Samuel    Y.    Nicholls,    Second   Presbyterian    Church, 

St.  Louis,  Mo 89 

"        "      George   Rutger   Brauer,   First   Presbyterian   Church, 

Setauket,  L.  1 90 

"      W.  Lyall  Wilson,  Dundee,  Scotland 90 

Baptist. 

The  Rev.  George  D.  Adams,  Chestnut  Street  Baptist  Church, 

Philadelphia,  Pa 92 

"         "      A.    C.    Applegarth,    Chestnut    Hill    Baptist    Church, 

Philadelphia,  Pa 92 

"  "  George  Dana  Boardman,  First  Baptist  Church,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa 12,  38,  48 

"         "      Walter  Calley,  First  Baptist  Church,  Jamaica  Plain, 

Boston,  Mass 90 

"        "      W.  C.  Golden,  Corresponding  Secretary,  Tennessee 

Baptist  Convention,  Nashville,  Tenn 92 


124  INDEX 

MINISTERS— Continued. 

Page 
The  Rev.  H.    C.    Rosamond,    First    Baptist   Church,    Eldorado, 

Ark 91 

"        "      L.  Walton  Terry,   N.  W.  Baptist  Convention,  Ta- 

coma.  Wash 91 

"        "      George  L.  White,  General  Missionary,  Salt  Lake  City, 

Utah 91 

"        "      Kerr  Boyce  Tupper,  First  Baptist  Church,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa 92 

"         '•      David  Carol  Williams,  First  Baptist  Church,  Globe, 

Ariz 91 

"      George  W.  Truett,  First  Baptist  Church,  Dallas,  Tex.,       93 
"         "      Hulbert  G.  Beeman,  Walnut  Street  Baptist  Church, 

Waterloo,  Iowa 91 

Lutheran. 

The  Rev.  J.  Eugene  Dietterich,  St.  Paul's,  Glenside,  Pa 93 

"        "      E.   P.   Pfatteicher,    Holy   Communion,   Philadelphia, 

Pa 93 

"         "      H.  H.  Weber,  General  Secretary,  York,  Pa 93 

S.  A.  Ziegenfuss,  St.  Michael's,  Germantowrn,  Phila- 
delphia,  Pa 94 

Methodist. 
Tlie  Rev.  W.  Bamford,  Cookman  Church,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  ...       94 
"      R.  W.  Webb,  A.  M.  E.  Church,  Marche,  Ark 95 

First  Church  of  Christ. 

The  Rev.  Oscar  Edward  Maurer,  First  Church  of  Christ,  New 

Haven,   Conn 95 

Bible  Christian  Church. 

The  Rev.  Henry  S.   Clubb,   Bible   Christian   Church,   Philadel- 
phia, Pa 95 

George   Hamilton    Combs,    Independence    Boulevard 

Christian  Church,  Kansas  City,  Mo 96 


INDEX 


125 


MINISTERS— Continued. 
Congregational  Church.  Page 

The  Rev.  William  V.  Berg,  Central  Church,  Philadelphia   96 

Evangelists. 
The  Rev.  W.    E.    Biederwolf,    President    of   the    Family    Altar 

League,  Chicago,  111 96 

Hebrew  Church. 

Rabbi  Joseph  Krauskopf,  Philadelphia,  Pa 96 

Rabbi  Henry  Berkowitz,   Philadelphia,   Pa 97 

BIBLE,  SUNDAY  SCHOOL,  CHRISTIAN  AND 
OTHER  ASSOCIATIONS. 

International  Committee  of  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations, 

G.  S.  Eddy,  Associate  General  Secretary 100 

International  Sunday  School  Association,  E.  K.  Mohr,  Superin- 
tendent  Purity  Department    97 

International   Sunday   School   Association,   William   Hamilton, 

Chairman,  Home  and'  Visitation  Committee 100 

Pennsylvania  State  Sabbath  School  Association,  W.  G.  Landes, 

General   Secretary    97 

Philadelphia    County    Sunday    School    Association,    Emilie    F. 

Kearney,  Teacher,  Training  Superintendent 98 

Federation  Women's  Bible  Classes,  Annie  Townsend  Scribner, 

President   99 

Bethany  (John  Wanamaker's)  Sunday  School,  Philadelphia,  D. 

L.  Anderson,  Assistant  Superintendent,  25  Years,       99 

American  Red  Cross,  Philadelphia  Chapter,  David  H.  Wright, 

Secretary   99 

World's  Conference  on  Faith  and  Order,   Robert  H.   Gardner, 

Secretary 100 

Incorporated  Synod,  Diocese  of  Toronto,  W.  S.  Battin,  Secre- 
tary and  Registrar  101 


126  INDEX 

BIBLE,  SUNDAY  SCHOOL,  ASSOCIATIONS— .Continued. 

Page 
St.   Andrew's   Cross,    Hubert   Carleton,   General   Secretary  and 

Editor    100 

The    Home    Missionary    Society    of    the    City  of  Philadelphia, 

George  H.  Stuart,  Jr.,  President  17,  98 

PRESIDENTS  OF  UNIVERSITIES,  COLLEGES 
AND  SEMINARIES. 

Brown  University,  W.  H.  P.  Faunce,  President 102 

Valparaiso  University,  Henry  B.  Brown,  President 101 

University  of  Michigan,  James  B.  Angell,  President 102 

University  of  Pennsylvania,  Edgar  F.  Smith,  Provost 102 

University  of  Texas,  Sidney  E.  Mezes,  President 103 

University  of  Kansas,  Frank  Strong,  Chancellor 104 

Leland  Standford,  Jr.,  University,  David  Starr  Jordan,  President,  103 

Lehigh  University,  Henry  S.  Drinker,  President   103 

Ohio  University,  Alston  Ellis,  President    103 

Northwestern  University,  A.  W.  Harris,  President 103 

Williamette  University,  Fletcher  Homan,  President 106 

University  of  Pennsylvania,  Josiah  H.  Penniman,  Provost  ...  13,  103 

Iowa  State  College,  A.  B.  Storms,  President 102 

Princeton  University,  Woodrow  Wilson,  President 106 

Lincoln  Memorial  University,  W.  P.  Fairchild,  President 105 

Tufts  College,  Mass.,  F.  W.  Hamilton,  President 102 

Pennsylvania  State  College,  Edwin  W.  Sparks,  President 104 

Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  J.  H.  Stahr,  President 105 

Berkeley  Divinity  School,  Rev.  Samuel  Hart,  Dean   73,107 

Margaret  College,  Kentucky,  Lewis  W  Burton,  President 107 

Drew  Theological  Seminary,  Henry  A  Buttz,  President 104 

Augustana  College,  Gustav  Andreen,  President   105 

Auburn  Theological  Seminary,  George  B.  Stewart,  President  . .  105 

German  Theological  School,  Newark,  D.  R.  Frazer,  President,  106 


INDEX  127 

OTHER  EDUCATORS. 

Page 
Charles  F.  Kent,  Professor  of  Bible  Literature.  Vale  University,     107 
Guido  Bossard,  Professor  of  Bible  Literature,  Du  Buque  Uni- 
versity           °^ 

Warren  Powers  Laird,  Dean,  Department  of  Architecture,  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania   U.  108 

William  Draper  Lewis,  Dean,  Law  School,  I'niversity  of  Penn- 
sylvania           lOo 

George  E.  Nitzsche,  Recorder,  University  of  Pennsylvania  ....  109 
Richard  M.  Jones,  Head  Master,  William  Penn  Charter  School, 

Philadelphia,  Pa 109 

ACACIA  FRATERNITY. 

Acacia  Fraternity,  Cornell  University,  Allen  Jayne,  Secretary,     109 

University  of  Chicago,  Donald  J.  Pope,  Sec- 
retary       109 

Columbia  University,  New  York,E.  P.  Hum- 
phrey, Secretary   1 10 

Columbia    University,    New    York,    H.    H. 

Holmes,  President  HO 

Harvard    University,    Floyd    L.    Duxbury, 

Secretary 1 10 

University    of    Kansas,    Walter    G.    Theile, 

Secretary 1 10 

University  of  Michigan,  L.  S.  Mercer,  Sec- 
retary       Ill 

OTHER  PROMINENT  LAYMEN. 

Hon.  Hampton  L.  Carson,  President,  American  Bar  Association,  111 
Hon.    George    Wharton    Pepper,    United    States    Senator    from 

Pennsylvania    Ill 

Hon.  George   B.   Orlady,   President   Judge,   Superior   Court  of 

Pennsylvania   1 1 1 


128  INDEX 

OTHER  PROMINENT  LAYMEN— Continued. 

Page 

Charles  F.  Gallagher,  Counselor  at  Law,  Boston,  Mass Ill 

John  A.  Dix,  ex-Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York 112 

William  Homan,  Provincial  Grand  Treasurer  for  the  U.  S.  Royal 

Order  of  Scotland,  New  York 112 

W.  D.  Vincent,  Vice-President,  Old  National  Bank,  Spokane, 

Wash 112 

Mrs.  Ida  M.  Ryan,  Sufifern,  N.  Y 112 

Brig.-Gen.  F.  S.  Strong,  U.  S.  Army  112 

R.  E.  Field,  Banker,  Cincinnati,  Ohio   113 

Mary  Dunn  Kuser,  Bordentown,  N.  J 113 

Ellen  E.  Fay,  Missionary,  Faith  Mission  Kanbalu,  Burma,  India,  99 
Alba  B.  Johnson,  President  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works,  Phila- 
delphia,  Pa 113 

Howard  B.  French,  President,  Philadelphia  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce      113 

George  H.  Stuart,  Jr.,  Philadelphia,  Pa 17,  99 

Francis   B.  Reeves,  Philadelphia,  Pa 113 

John  S.  Bioren,  President,  Merchants'  Union  Trust  Company, 

Philadelphia,   Pa 114 

John  A.  Wiedersheim,  Philadelphia,  Pa 114 

John  McMurdie  Warner,  Philadelphia,  Pa 114 

George  Bradford  Carr,  Member  of  the  Philadelphia  Bar 114 

Rufus  J.  Foster,  M.  E.,  Scranton,  Pa 115 

William  Waterall,  Philadelphia,  Pa 115 

NEWSPAPERS. 

"The  New  York   Herald"    17,39 

"The  Philadelphia  Press"   17,  39 


